My Brother's Keeper
by Brown Eyes Parker
Summary: AU. Jane has an older brother who has built up a lifetime of resentment for him, leading him into Red John's web. Now he is ready to see his brother again and chaos ensues. Jisbon, Lorelei Martins/OC. Rated T for mature subject matter.
1. Chapter 1

**My Brother's Keeper**

**A Mentalist Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I have to inform you that I don't own anything.**

**Author's Note:**

**I SWEAR I did not steal this idea from anybody. I actually came up with the plot last year when the spoilers about Lorelei came out. I was just never brave enough to write it, but I decided this year was going to be the year I pushed some of my personal boundaries when it came to my stories. So, here we are with another take on the Jane/Brother/Red John theory. Oh, and I know how "cheesy" using the name "Cain" is, but please bear with me. It was the best I could come up with. **

**.**

"_Jacob have I loved, but Esau I have hated." Romans 9: 13, NKJV__

**Chapter 1**

He watched from the back of the tent as his half-brother showed off the latest trick their father had taught him, charming the crowd of unsuspecting people into believing that he was somebody special. . . somebody worth their time and attention.

He kicked hard at a clump of grass and swallowed his anger as the applause for an ordinary boy swelled around the enclosed space. He ducked outside and sucked in a deep breath of warm evening air, cigarette smoke and concession stand food as he tried to stave off the hatred he felt towards the boy inside. But the feelings wouldn't budge.

He despised him.

This beautiful little man with blue eyes, and curly blonde-hair that everybody on the carnival circuit called "The Boy Wonder".

His younger brother.

The son that his father so obviously loved best.

He stood, watching the dizzying lights and the carnival goers, and he wished that his brother had never been born. . . that he had never even been a thought.

And for one terrible second, he really wanted to kill him. And not in the normal, frustrated kind of way either. He really wanted to do physical harm to his little brother.

It was a huge, scary thought for a thirteen-year-old boy, and he wanted to get rid of it as soon as it had taken root in his mind.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it.

It was always there, shaping him, making him into something dark and ugly. A person that he didn't recognize at all.

And one day, he learned to revel in the darkness.

**.**

**Five Years Later – Reno, Nevada **

"Well look what the cat dragged," Sam said, putting her hands on her hips and looking the eighteen-year-old boy up and down. "Kane Reynolds, aren't you a sight for soreeyes! Do Patrick and Alex know that you're here?"

"Not yet," Kane answered, taking off his aviator sunglasses and sticking them in his shirt pocket.

"You want to surprise them, ha?"

"Yeah," he replied, nodding slightly. "I want to surprise them."

"Well, Patrick will be happy to see you. Your visit is the only thing that he's talked about for the past month-and-a-half," the older woman said, starting to take her laundry down from the worn-out clothes line strung up between two sagging trees. "He's with Pete and Angie, washing the elephants if you want to go and see him."

Kane bristled slightly. "I'd rather not right now, I've had a long trip and I'm rather tired right now."

"And why wouldn't you be? Flying all that way from London, it's a wonder that you're still standing up at all."

"Sam," Kane said slowly as he adjusted his duffle bag and tried to look a little pathetic.

"What is it Kane?" Sam asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Do you mind if I lie down in your trailer for a little bit? If I go to my dad's trailer, I'm going to have to talk to him. And I'm really not in the mood for that right now; I need a couple hours sleep before I face him."

Sam sighed heavily and balanced the wicker basket on her hip as she wrenched the trailer door open. "Okay. But only for a _little_ while Kane. I can't have you underfoot while we try and get ready for the opening of the carnival tonight."

Kane leaned in and pecked her cheek. "Thank you Sam, you're the best."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam muttered as she led him inside and put her laundry down on the table. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll go tell your father that you're here safely."

Kane flopped down on the couch, shaking his head as he closed his eyes and stifled a fake yawn. "Don't bother, he'll know soon enough. But for now, I just want to be left alone."

Sam rolled her eyes and threw a dusty afghan over the young man's lower half. Then she crept out quietly, intent on finding Alex Jane.

**.**

She found him outside his trailer, fiddling around with a crystal ball.

He smiled when he saw her walking towards him, placing the ball and cloth down on the old crate sitting beside his folding chair before rising to greet her. "Sam, what brings you here this fine day? Paddy isn't being too bothersome again, is he?"

"Not at all," Sam answered. "He's with Pete and Angela right now. I actually came to talk to you about Kane."

"Kane?" Alex repeated, frowning slightly. "What about him?"

"He showed up at my trailer five minutes ago," Sam answered.

Alex's frown deepened. "That's funny—"

"He just wanted to rest for a little bit before coming to see you," the black woman explained quickly. "He was exhausted after his flight—"

"No, I mean it's funny, because we weren't expecting him until the beginning of next week. His classes just ended today, he was due on Tuesday."

"Oh. . ." Sam trailed off and toyed with one of the beads at the end of her dreadlocks. "Well, I just thought you'd want to know your son was here safely. I'll let you get back to your work."

Alex nodded. "Thank you Sam. Maybe I should drive into town and call his mother, see if everything's okay. Could you do me a favor and make sure Patrick's fed and ready for the show tonight?"

Sam nodded. "It'll be my pleasure."

"And as soon as Kane is awake, could you please send him over here to see me?"

"Of course Alex," Sam answered.

"Thank you," he said, taking his keys from his shirt pocket. "I'll be back soon."

**.**

"Alexander, thank God that you called!" Sasha Reynolds said, breathing deeply into the phone. "I didn't have any idea how to get in touch with you. Kane went missing three days ago, I dropped him off at school and he disappeared—"

"He's fine, Sasha. He showed up at the carnival today—"

"WHAT!?" Sasha screeched. _"Why!?"_

"I don't know," Alex replied. "I was hoping _you_ could tell me why he's here early."

"You mean you haven't talked to him yet?"

"I haven't even seen him yet," Alex answered. "He showed up at _Sam's _trailer. _She_ was the one who told me that he was here."

"Oh. . ." Sasha trailed off. "I'm really sorry about this Alexander—"

"Don't be," Alex interjected. "Now tell me, how are things going with him? Is there any reason to why he would show up so early?"

"We had a big fight the night before he disappeared," she said slowly. "But that doesn't result in him leaving the country. He usually hides out with his friends for a few days before he comes back to me, full of apologizes and promises to do better. . . to _be _better—"

"What do you mean, _promises to do and be better_?" Alex asked.

Sasha huffed. "If you must know Alexander, your son is more interested in partying and sleeping around then in getting a good education."

"Oh, is that all? He's a teenage boy, Sash. Of course he's more interested in girls and parties. What boy isn't—?"

"My parents don't approve," she said sharply. "They don't want him to turn out to be like _you_."

"I know that," Alex replied a little impatiently. "And that's why we agreed that I'd only see him during the summers and the rest of the time he would live with you over in England. Which is kind of silly if you think about it, do you know how much you could influence somebody over three months?"

Sasha laughed, breaking the tension between them. "I'm sorry for getting angry with you Alex. It's frustrating trying to raise a teenage boy on my own. I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"I don't know. I think you're doing a pretty good job at it," Alex said generously. "You should try raising Patrick."

"How is Patrick doing?"

"He's doing well," Alex answered. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him. I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before I lose him. He takes moral issue with everything we do here, and he's so hungry for knowledge that he spends hours at the library whenever we're gone for long periods of time."

"Does he ever ask about his mother?" Sasha asked.

Alex sighed. "He did on his last birthday. I know he's fifteen, but I still didn't know how to explain to him that his mother didn't want him. . . that she dumped him on my doorstep literally days after I was born. I don't know how to tell him that she was just a girl I had a one-night stand with, a random girl out that I picked out of a crowd. Especially because he has all these romantic notions in his head that sex is only connected to love and marriage."

"You'll have to tell him the truth one day," Sasha told him. "Kane's known about you ever since he was four-years-old."

"He's been coming to stay with me summers ever since he was four," Alex reminded her.

"I'm just saying that sometimes _honesty_ is best!"

"Define honesty for me," Alex replied trying to keep things light and playful between them. But nothing had been the same between them since she had gotten pregnant with Kane and her parents had stormed into the United States to separate them.

"I would but I have to go," Sasha said. "It's late here. Have Kane call me tomorrow, would you?"

"Of course," he promised.

"Good. I'll talk to you later my darling Alexander, have a good show tonight. And say hello to Patrick for me."

"Goodnight Sash," was all Alex said before he hung up.

**.**

"All I'm saying is it was _very_ stupid for you to run off like that without telling your mother," Alex said.

"You don't know what it's like living with her, dad!" Kane retorted, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag. "She's always on me about _something_, if it isn't my homework then it's the girls I spend time with, and if it isn't the girls then it's my friends. When it isn't that, she's on me about the one time I go caught using drugs—"

"That's another thing," Alex interjected. "Don't you know how stupid it is to use drugs, Kane? You're going to ruin your mind if you—"

Kane rolled his eyes. "So, I ruin some brain cells. It isn't like I need them anyways, I'm going to go off and be a worldwide sensation like your son—"

"Patrick doesn't have anything to do with this conversation," Alex cut him off. "And if I knew he was off smoking, drinking, and getting high I would talk to him too. Your mind is a gift, son. You need to take care of it. All that aside, you're underage! You shouldn't be drinking—"

"The legal drinking age in England _is_ eighteen," Kane reminded his father. "Besides, it isn't like you _didn't_ drink when you were underage."

"What _I_ did when I was your age is beside the point," Alex said firmly. "We're talking about _you_ here, not me."

Kane groaned and flung open the trailer door. "I'm going out. I'll see you later, dad."

Alex sighed. "Kane—"

"_Goodnight!"_

"Hey Kane! When did you get here, dad said you weren't supposed to be here until Tuesday—"

"Not now Patrick," Kane said, waving his younger brother off as he tossed his cigarette butt on the ground and brushed past him.

"But Kane—"

"I'm not in the mood Patrick," he said.

"He's even meaner this year," he heard Angela Ruskin whisper as he retreated.

"Don't say that! He's probably just really tired from his trip. Do you know the time difference between here and England?"

"Yes," Angela answered primly. "But it isn't that much time that Kane has to be so rude! You're his _brother_, Paddy! The least he could do is say hi and see how you're doing."

For a moment, Kane was chastened by her scolding. He had always had a soft spot for the beautiful Angela, he never wanted to be in her bad books. . . hated it when he actually got there, and did everything he could to get out of them. Unfortunately for him that usually meant he had to put up with Patrick, because the pair was inseparable.

But tonight, he didn't care about what she thought. She could curse him to hell, call him the worst names, avoid his eyes and ignore his subtle attempts at flirting, he wouldn't weaken. Even if it meant he didn't get to spend a couple of hours with her.

Tonight his brother wasn't worth it though.

So, he kept on walking.

**.**

When he got back early the next morning, Patrick was curled up on a faded, green sleeping bag. His father was sitting on a chair, reading a worn out novel and drinking instant coffee.

"What's up with Patrick?" Kane asked, nodding to his little brother.

"He decided he wanted to wait up for you," Alex whispered, bookmarking his spot and raising to his feet. "Come, walk with me for a little bit. We're going to have an adult conversation, and after what happened last night, I really don't want to wake Patrick up. He was up all night—"

"And he probably needs his rest for some big show this afternoon," Kane finished for him. "I know the drill, dad."

Alex shook his head. "I changed my mind, we're going into town to get some breakfast and then you're going to call your mother because I promised her that you would."

Kane sighed, knowing that arguing wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Fine. But let's make it quick, I'm exhausted."

He could tell by the look on his father's face that he was refraining from saying something like; _well that's what happens when you stay up all night_.

Eighty minutes later, Kane had made promises to do better and called his mother to apologize for their argument and for leaving the country without telling her about it first. He didn't mean a word he said, but he knew if he didn't do it, his father wouldn't leave him alone until he did.

When they got back to the carnival grounds, Patrick was awake and eating cereal straight from the box.

And because Alex was watching him, Kane forced himself to smile and sit down beside his little brother. "Hey buddy, I'm sorry about last night—"

Patrick shrugged. "It's fine, really. You were probably just tired after the long trip you had."

"Yeah," Kane agreed hollowly, hating that his conscience had started to prick him ever so slightly. He swallowed hard and set his lips in a thin line while he forced himself to try and make small talk. "So, are you ready for today's show?"

"Sure," Patrick answered, closing the box of cereal and putting it down on the ground beside him. "Are you going to come?"

"Maybe tonight," Kane replied. "I'm going to try and get some sleep this afternoon."

"You know—"

Kane sighed as he prepared himself for another one of his brother's _smarter than you are_ remarks. Thankfully he was saved just in time by the arrival of Angela.

"Hey Patrick, mom sent me to see if Danny was here with you."

"I haven't seen him since last night," Patrick said, getting to his feet. "Come on, I'll help you look for him."

"I'll come too," Kane volunteered quickly.

Angela narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Thank you, but we're perfectly capable of finding Danny by ourselves. We do it all the time."

Patrick sighed. "If you really want to help, you can come and look with me, Kane. I don't mind."

Kane took one look at Angela and then shook his head. "No, it's fine. You'd be better off without me, especially since I haven't slept much in the past few days—"

Patrick laughed. "Come on, it isn't like Danny's in danger or anything. He's probably hanging out at the merry-go-round or the concession stand."

Angela took him by the arm and dragged him away. "He said he didn't want to come, Patrick! Now come on, my mother wants me back at our trailer in fifteen minutes, and she wants me there _with_ Danny."

"I'll see you when I get back," Patrick said, looking at Kane apologetically.

"Sure," Kane replied tightly.

He was halfway in the trailer when he heard Angela asking Patrick why he was always so nice to him when it was obvious that he didn't really like having him around that much. He didn't stick around to hear his brother's reply; he had had enough guilt for one day, he didn't want to deal with anymore.

**.**

As the years had passed by, Patrick had grown more and more famous. Word of his skills had passed all over North America, and he was no longer performing for a small crowd of people in a tent. The only thing that hadn't changed was Kane's desire to scream at everybody that they were wasting their time.

He wanted to tell them that the teenage boy they revered so much was nothing but a conman in training. He wanted to spill all his secrets and make him look like an idiot. But the smarter part of him knew doing something like that would only get his father upset with him.

It was even worse than the times Angela got upset at him.

So, he kept his mouth shut and quietly slipped away from the crowd, not caring if Patrick noticed or not.

"I thought you were going to Patrick's show tonight."

He turned around and saw Angela staring at him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm still tired—" Kane started.

"You're going to have to get adjusted to the different time zone sometime," she told him. "You're going to be here for three months—"

"Angela," Kane said wearily.

"Don't _Angela_ me!" She replied. "Patrick is _so _excited that you're here, and you've treated him like crap since last night. I don't know why you're having a bad attitude towards him, but you better cut it out or I'm not going to talk to you for the rest of your visit."

"So?" Kane asked, quickly schooling his features so she wouldn't know that she had gotten to him a little bit. "It wouldn't matter to me _one _bit if you ever talked to me again."

Angela frowned, looking more than a little startled by his words. "But I thought. . . I mean, I could have sworn—"

"Well, you thought _wrong_. Now if you'd excuse me, I'm going to go to bed now. If Patrick asks, tell him that I was too tired to stay for the show. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yes," Angela agreed dryly. "I'm sure that he will. He _always _does."

Kane winced slightly at the edge in her voice and suddenly, he hated her too because she was Patrick's own personal champion. . . because she would never care for or like him the way she did for his younger brother. He turned and ran away from her, angry and embarrassed with himself for _ever_ thinking she actually liked him for anything other than the fact that he was the amazing Patrick's brother.

As he retreated from Angela, he made a vow to himself that this was going to be his last summer visiting his brother and father.

He had had it with Patrick and the world that revolved around him.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**Thoughts? I'm anxious here.**

**Holly, 4/8/2013_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shout-Outs: ngocquevt, guest, Marcia Santos, Jane Doe51, Nerwen Aldarion, and chymom for their reviews on chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all. If I did, I'd actually have a drier that worked.**

**.**

**Chapter 2**

**Two years later – Lone Star, Texas**

"Kane! What are you doing here?" the now seventeen-year-old Patrick Jane asked as he tossed aside the book he was reading and rose to greet his older brother. "We haven't seen or heard from you in two years—"

"Decided to check in and see how you guys were doing," Kane answered before he could say anything else, he looked around. "Where's dad?"

"He went into town with Pete to hand out fliers," Patrick replied, frowning slightly. "Is everything okay?"

Kane frowned too. "Why would you ask _that_?"

"The tension between your eyes and the way you're avoiding looking directly at me," he said. "You're not in some kind of trouble, are you? You didn't get a girl pregnant—?"

"_No! _I'm not stupid enough to get a girl pregnant, Patrick!" Kane snapped, he closed his and eyes took a deep breath to keep from lashing out at him further. "I just need money, okay? My grandparents cut off my allowance and my mother kicked me out."

Patrick looked confused. "Why would they do that?"

"_You're_ the psychic, you tell me."

"Kane, I am _not_ in the mood to play games with you today. What made your family do all those things?"

Kane laughed harshly. "Sounds like you're losing your touch, Paddy if you can't tell just by looking at me what happened."

"I don't have time for this. I have to get ready for a show in two hours," Patrick said.

"My grandparents cut me off because I'm not their picture perfect idea of what a Reynolds should be like. My mother kicked me because they probably told her to get rid of me and she's easily influenced by them."

He knew that Patrick probably knew there was more going on than he was letting on, but to his brother's credit he didn't press the issue. Instead he disappeared into the trailer without one word. A few minutes later he returned with a sealed coffee tin.

"What's this?" Kane asked looking slightly confused as Patrick handed it to him.

"_This _was the savings that I was going to use to run away from the carnival eventually," Patrick answered with a sigh. "But you need it more than I do, and I'm still not old enough to leave yet."

Kane knew that he should refuse the money, he knew that Patrick had probably been saving for years just to get a hundred dollars because their father was so tight-fisted when it came to sharing money with him. But he couldn't bring himself to say no, he dropped his backpack on the ground and emptied the bills and coins into it.

"You're a lifesaver, bro!"

"Just use it wisely. Okay?" Patrick pleaded. "_Please _don't blow it on beer or drugs or those cigarettes that you're so addicted to."

"I won't," Kane lied, zipping his pack up before slinging it over his shoulder. "I have to be going now though."

"But you just got here," Patrick said, looking disappointed. "Dad finally taught me how to hypnotize people—"

"As tempting as that sounds to watch, I can't stay. I'm sorry. Maybe next time, okay?"

"Sure, next time," Patrick agreed hollowly. "But are you sure you don't want to stay and at least see dad before you have to leave? He's going to be sorry he missed you—"

"I'll see dad next time," Kane said punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Besides dad doesn't want to see me, I'm the prodigal son."

"If I recall correctly, the prodigal son was received with open arms and a party," Patrick answered. "Dad might surprise you."

Kane shook his head and crossed his fingers. "No, I can't stay. I promise the next time I come that it'll be for more than a loan. . ."

Patrick nodded and offered him a smile. "Okay. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Later," Kane echoed as he waved, disappearing just as quickly as he had arrived.

**.**

_Six Months Later_

"I have go and hear a guest lecturer in thirty minutes," a pretty, medium-skinned, brunette, co-ed named Corrine said as she tossed the comforter away and stumbled to her feet.

Kane groaned and propped himself up on his elbow, watching as she picked up her t-shirt dress and pulled it on. "Are you sure you have to go, baby?" he asked, tugging her back down beside him.

Corrine laughed and pulled him down for a long, languid kiss. "I'm sure," she answered. "It's required for my major. But I do have an extra ticket, if you want to come with me."

Kane sighed. "I guess I could go with you."

"Good!" Corrine said, tapping him on the chest as she got up again and grabbed his sweater from the bookshelf before pulling on her boots. "Hurry up and get ready then. If we're late then they won't let us in and I can't afford to miss this lecture. It's worth half my grade."

"Don't you ever get tired of living a life that's so structured?" Kane asked as he put his jeans on.

"Don't you ever get tired of _not_ living a structured life?" Corrine asked, raking her fingers through his long, tangled, blonde curls.

"Not really," Kane replied taking her hand and kissing it. "I guess I get that from my father."

"Really? What does your father do?"

Kane shrugged. "I told you before that it wasn't important."

Corrine sighed and found a denim jacket. "Everything about you is such a mystery, Kane."

"I know," he replied, coming up behind her and brushing a kiss on her ear. "I like it that way."

"But if you want something long-term with somebody, don't you think you should be a little more sharing with them?" Corrine asked.

Kane took her hand and walked her to the dorm door. "Honestly, I haven't thought about it."

"Well, you should," she said, locking the door and pocketing her key.

He smiled and put on his best fake smile as he shoved his hands into his pockets and crossed his fingers. "If that's what you want, then I'll just _have _to think about."

"Thank you," Corrine said, returning his smile with a genuine one of her own. "Now really have to hurry or we're really going to be late."

"Anything for you," Kane answered.

It was another lie in a long series of falsehoods he had been telling since his mother and grandparents had disinherited him.

Corrine was very beautiful and very nice, but she was also very disposable. Kane didn't love her at all; she was just a nice face and a good body. He only went to see her when he didn't have anything better to do.

He just couldn't let her know that until he was tired of her.

It would be easy, he was a good pretender.

**.**

"That was just plain _creepy_," Corrine said as they exited the lecture hall hand-in-hand. "How could anybody believe in that kind of stuff?"

Kane didn't reply, Visualize sounded like an interesting and enlightened group, people of superior intellect who knew how to manipulate those around them. Not unlike the cons he knew from his father's carnie circuit. But there was an undercurrent of something else that Kane couldn't identify, something that came from Brother Robert that appealed to him. He hungered for more information on it, like he'd finally found the idol he'd been seeking.

"Let's go and get something to eat. I'm starving," Corrine said, tugging at his hand.

Kane looked back longingly at the instructor, everything in him wanted to find out more about Visualize and what it would take to join the church, but the lecturer had been swamped by other students who probably wanted to know the same thing.

It looked like Brother Robert would be a while, and Kane hated having to wait his turn. He still had some money left over from Patrick's loan, it would be enough to finance a trip to Sacramento (and back, if he decided that joining the church actually wasn't from him).

But first, he needed to feed Corrine.

"Come on," he said, keeping his features schooled so she wouldn't know anything had changed. "Let's go and grab something to eat before we go back to your dorm."

"Okay," she answered, wrapping her arm around his and letting him lead the way to the diner across the street.

Early the next morning, when Corrine was sleeping soundly, he dressed quietly and slipped out of the door without even kissing her goodbye. But for a moment, he did watch her sleep, a sliver of moonlight danced across her face and the kinder side of him hoped that she'd understand when she woke up all alone. And that maybe one day, she would find somebody who would actually love her.

When she shifted in her sleep and made a little sound, Kane fled the room as quickly as he could. If she woke up, he would have to postpone his trip to Sacramento by a day. Because if she opened her eyes and looked at him with that smoldering gaze of her's, he wouldn't be able to resist her.

And if he was really serious about leaving, then he was going to need to resist temptation.

**.**

He spent the rest of the night in the bus station, clutching his ticket like a cross while he slept in small, fitful intervals. But he was too excited to really sleep as the thoughts of _finally_ being accepted danced through his mind.

Morning finally dawned and the passengers were called to board the bus going to Sacramento.

Kane grabbed his backpack and followed the handful of people going in his direction. He slipped in the back and pulled his baseball cap over his eyes, he was sound asleep before the bus had hit the main highway.

They were in Sacramento by nightfall. As he exited the bus and hailed a taxi, he felt as giddy as a school boy the night before summer break started. He had no idea why though because everything had stopped making sense in an old lecture hall the afternoon before.

**TBC. . .**

**Author's Note:**

**I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts about this. I know it's a real stretch from the show, but people do AU's all the time. So, if you want to tell me what you think I'm open to hearing it.**

**Holly, 4/13/2013_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shout-outs: Jane Doe51, ngpcquevt, Nerwen Aldarion, DanahNYPD, and chymom**

**Disclaimer: Simple, I don't own anything. **

**.**

**Chapter 3**

"_Be not deceived, bad company corrupts good morals." Proverbs 4:14, NIV__

**Eight Years Later – Malibu, California **

Kane still hated his half-brother.

But now it was for different reasons.

It wasn't because Patrick was being fawned over by crowds of silly people who thought he was something special. It wasn't even because he thought his father loved the younger boy more than him (Kane had wised up over the years and realized that Alex had just been using his little brother for his own personal gain.)

Now he hated him because he had become a façade, selling hope to the masses for a hefty price. Underneath the designer suits was fifteen-year-old boy who had cried over lying to a terminally ill girl. Underneath the silver tongue and the perfectly coiffed hair was the seventeen-year-old boy who had given him a coffee tin full of money when he had hit a rough patch in his life.

Even now, when they had rare visits, Patrick would pull out his Italian leather wallet and peel off a couple hundred dollar bills, making Kane swear not to spend it on drugs or women as he handed it over to him.

He hated him for the faker he'd become and for everything he had because he was a fraud. He hated him because Angela had wound up marrying him and they'd become the perfect little family with more stability than the three of them had had as children.

But he'd become good at hiding his hate, even from himself. Visualize had helped him do that.

He brushed the dark thoughts towards his brother away and knocked on Patrick's door twice. A few seconds later, Angela was ushering him inside.

"Patrick will be happy to see you," she said with no word about how _she _felt, but she didn't need to say anything. Kane could see the same old resentment towards him in her pretty hazel eyes. "He's in the nursery, putting Charlie down for her nap. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Water will be fine," he answered, offering her a smile as he followed her into the kitchen. "So, how are you Angela?"

"I'm still adjusting to having a kid. They said it would be easier when she reached a year old, but they were wrong. Other than that I'm fine though," she answered, getting a glass out from the cabinet and filling it to the brim with ice, water, and lemons. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," Kane answered, toying with his tie clip.

"That's good." Angela handed him his drink, there was a moment of awkward silence and then she cleared her throat. "Excuse me; I'm going to see what's taking Patrick so long. I'll be right back."

"Sure," he agreed, watching her as she left the kitchen, feeling the familiar pang of disappointment he usually got when he was around her. For some stupid reason, he wanted her to like him just a little bit.

"Here he is," Angela said a few seconds later as she led Patrick into the kitchen. "Paddy, why don't you take Kane out to the deck while I start dinner?"

"Of course darling," Patrick answered smiling at his brother. "Come on Kane, we have the _most_ amazing view ever. I can't wait for you to see it! Don't say no, Angela can't stand it when I'm underfoot while she's in the kitchen."

"Okay," Kane said putting his glass down on the counter and standing up. "Then, take me to see this spectacular view of yours."

"So, how are you doing?" Patrick asked when they were situated on the deck chairs.

"I'm fine," Kane replied, hating that his brother's eyes were so filled with concern for him. "I almost have everything that I ever wanted. Stop worrying about me, Paddy. Okay? The sooner you do the better."

"I can't help worrying, I hate it that you're all alone and I have no idea what you're doing—"

"Frankly, it's none of your business!" Kane snapped. "You have your life and I have mine, we both agreed when you moved to California that's the way it was going to be."

"I know," Patrick said, looking slightly chastened. "But that doesn't ever stop me from worrying or caring about you."

Kane shook his head. "Why do you care so much about me anyways?"

Patrick shrugged a gesture that made him look younger than twenty-four. "Because you're my family and I love you."

Kane wanted to ask him why he loved him so much. He wanted to ask Patrick why he'd never picked up on his hatred towards him when he was so good at reading everybody else. But he couldn't do it, couldn't bring himself to ask the questions that he'd wanted to ask for so long. So, he changed the subject and told his brother how much he liked the ocean view and the new house.

He pretended to be happy for him while his brother just sat there and ate it all up with a disgusting look of happiness on his pretty features.

**.**

When the visit was finally over, Kane tried to get out of the house as quickly as possible. But Patrick insisted on asking if he needed anything.

He was set for money, but that still didn't stop him from answering that he could use one hundred dollars for car repairs. Patrick opened his wallet and handed it over to him without blinking an eyelash. This time he didn't even make him promise _not_ to use it on drugs or prostitutes.

"Thanks," Kane said, pocketing the money and offering his brother a smile. "I'll see you the next time I have a free day."

Patrick nodded. "Okay. I love you Kane."

"Love you too," Kane muttered, but only because Angela was watching them. "See you later Angie. Thank you for dinner, it was really good."

"You're welcome," she answered, taking her fashion magazine and going into the living room. "I hope you have a safe drive back to Sacramento."

Kane couldn't deny the small sense of triumph he felt shoot through his body. It was the nicest thing that she had said to him in years, a small smile broke out on his face. "Goodnight," he said again. "I'll see you two later."

"Hopefully sooner than later," Patrick replied as he pulled him into a hug, always the one to drag out their goodbyes because he was never sure when their next meeting would be.

Kane patted him on the back awkwardly. "We'll see," he answered. "I really have to go now though."

"Okay," Patrick said, releasing him almost reluctantly. "You know, you could just spend the night. Sacramento is such a long drive away and it's getting late—"

"No!" Kane answered quickly, the need to get away intensified slightly. "I mean thank you, but I'll be fine."

So, Patrick let him go. He always let him go without pushing him too much, because that was just his style when it came to their relationship.

He wanted him to push, wanted him to fight him and maybe raise his voice. . . he wanted Patrick to hate him in return. He wanted the showman Patrick, the one who told lies and sold hope to needy, vulnerable women and men.

Instead, he got to see the Patrick Jane that nobody else in the world got to see. There weren't any façades or Armani suits when they were together. He was still a little boy following him around a field of tents and rides, begging him without any words to just love him in return, even if it's just a little bit.

Sickeningly enough, Kane hated him all the more for this.

The further he got away from Patrick's own personal paradise, the loathing he felt for his brother simmered more and more. For the first time in eight years, he didn't fight the bitter thoughts towards his brother. For the first time in eight years, he almost felt _good_ because he wasn't trying to force himself to be charitable towards a person he despised.

Hatred was his disease and no matter what he did, he just couldn't cure himself of it.

**.**

A few days later, he decided that organized religion wasn't for him. He couldn't live by constant rules, regulations, and the need to be a better version of himself.

So, he quit.

Quitting was easy.

He was good at quitting.

He had quit both his families and Corrine without giving any of them (aside for Patrick) a second thought after he'd left them.

Burning one more bridge, leaving people behind had become second-nature to him. He'd stopped caring about anybody except himself a long time ago.

Of course when he left, he didn't have the church's blessing. The leader, Brett Stiles, sent him off with some nonsense about how one day he was sure that he'd see the light and return to them. The look on his face was sinister, the tone of his voice, creepy. It just gave him one more reason to be thankful to leave of organization and be on his own again.

**.**

He had been away from Visualize all of a month when he accidentally got involved with a new group of individuals. They were beautiful, supposed free-thinkers, who drew smiley faces with French fries and ketchup and traded romantic partners like they were candy. Their tastes included arsty coffee shops, poetry by William Blake, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Andgushed about their faceless leader like God Himself was living among them.

And even though they had a list of rules that everybody had to follow exactly to a "T" or something bad was bound to happen, Kane preferred them over Visualize. They didn't care that he hated his brother or that he thought about wronging him. In fact most of them had family problems of their own, and the ones that _didn't_ were usually lying about their circumstances.

Everything was perfect again that when he heard whispers about vengeful murders it was easy to turn a deaf ear to it. He didn't have any evidence that it was the group of people he'd come to know were committing the crimes (even though the smiley faces on the victims' walls matched the ones he'd seen on plates).

And who was he to condemn somebody for doing the same things he had thought about doing for years? Maybe if he was given the chance to get rid of his brother, he would take it without a second thought. Besides all of that, he was almost afraid of what would happen to him if he went to the police with his suspicions.

One of the rules that they had was that you couldn't go to the police and tell on each other no matter _what_ happened. It had seemed like a silly rule the first time he heard it. But the more time he spent with the little community of people, the rule had started to make more sense.

They were all keeping dark secrets and if any of them got out, it would probably just wreck the little world they were building together.

And Kane valued his life too much to lose it by selling secrets to the police. Especially since they wouldn't care about him or what he had to say once they found out about his track record with the police department in England. Besides, he considered the people he'd found a home with his family. For once in his life, he had something that he really didn't want to ruin.

So, he kept the rumors and secrets to himself.

And one day, he was asked to go and commit one of the nameless leader's killings for him. He was a little bit scared at first, but he concentrated on all the hatred he had harbored towards his brother over the years and murdering the teenage girl was so very easy. When it was over and he was showering, it almost scared him how easy it was to take somebody else's life.

What scared him even more was how easily he got away with it.

Nobody suspected him at all.

They were all looking for a serial killer.

A serial killer named Red John.

It wasn't until that moment Kane realized how much trouble he was really in and how hard it would be for him to get out of it.

**TBC. . .**

**Author's Note II:**

**I realized that Visualize was a way BIGGER challenge than I was ready to take on. So, I decided to change it around. I hope the change wasn't too jarring for you. I'd love to hear what you thought about this chapter. We'll be getting into present day soon.**

**And a Happy Birthday to my FABULOUS father. He's such an amazing man. Godly, funny, caring, and a Jane/Lisbon fan. I was crying hysterically on Thursday because our dog was REALLY sick and he brought her to the vet for me. What more could a girl ask for?**

**Lots of love,**

**Holly, 4/20/2013_**

**BOSTON STRONG! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Shout-Outs: littleweb, Jane Doe51, Chymom, ngocquevt, Marcia Santos, and Nerwen Aldarion for reviewing chapter 3. **

**Author's Note: **

**My family has company coming in this weekend and my dad/brother is going to Presbytery tomorrow. So, I wanted to give you guys something even though I just updated a story yesterday. Today's quote is brought to you by "the House of the Rising Sun" performed by the Animals. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. This is probably a good thing, because things would be crazy if I owned the show. I also don't have any rights to "the House of The Rising Sun" either.**

**Rated: T**

**.**

**Chapter 4**

"_Well, there is a house in New Orleans/they call the Rising Sun/and it's been the ruin of many a poor boy/and God, I know I'm one." _

_House of the Rising Sun, the Animals__

**Lorelei Martins - Las Vegas, Nevada **

_Eighteen years later_

She twisted the cheap promise ring on her left ring finger and waited for the results from the pregnancy test she had taken to show up.

She couldn't be pregnant. She just _couldn't_ be; it would ruin everything. She looked down at the plastic object and her breath caught in her throat as two thin blue lines appeared.

Positive.

Her life was officially over.

Especially since the baby probably wasn't _his_. It had been ages since he'd called her. He'd been opting to spend most of his nights with the beautiful and talented Rosalind Harker.

Lonely and bored she had turned to one of his top "disciples" for some much needed fulfillment and entertainment.

They'd spent half-a-dozen nights together before she'd gotten guilty conscious and ended things with him.

Well, not really.

Because every time _he _would reject her for another girl, she would go running back to his friend. And amid a symphony of passionate kisses, city traffic, Lana Del Rey songs and plaid flannel sheets that smelled of spicy cologne and fabric softener she would fall into his arms again. She was a slave to anything and everybody that would make her feel good if only for an hour or two.

And in the moments between waking and sleeping, Lorelei was almost certain she would have fallen in love with Kane Reynolds, had they met in another time and place.

She grabbed the pregnancy test box and crushed it, frantically; she couldn't let him see it. She pushed it to the bottom of the trash barrel and quickly washed her hands before turning up her music as a way to drown out her thoughts as she concentrated on finishing packing for her trip to Sacramento.

She would deal with the rest of her life later on.

A few minutes later, her front door opened and a tall figure appeared in her doorway. Lorelei startled, practically throwing her lingerie up in the air like it was birthday confetti, cursing herself for being so jumpy. When she realized who it was, she laughed at herself ruefully and motioned for him to come in.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" He asked as he perched on the edge of her bed, watching her as she gathered up her underwear and fold them carelessly.

"No," Lorelei answered, tucking a lacy, silk camisole between a pair of skinny jeans and a leather skirt. "Why would I be? Your brother is just a man, and I've had lots of men."

"But you're jumpy about something," Kane yelled over the Nirvana song blasting from her speakers as he throwing her a sweater that was hanging haphazardly on a bed post. "What is it?"

She forced herself to smirk as she caught the sweater before it landed on the floor. "Nothing that concerns you," she lied.

He slid off her bed, went over to her CD player and turned down the music. "Tell me," he demanded, coming over to her and prying the clothes she was holding from her hands.

"No!" Lorelei answered. "I'm not your girlfriend, Kane. You don't have _any_ right to nose around in my personal business."

Kane held up his hands in surrender. "Fine. I retract the question. I'm sorry that I even asked."

She sighed and zipped up her suitcase. "Why do you care about me so much anyways? Word on the street is you don't really care about anybody but yourself. And _maybe_ him."

"I don't care about you," Kane lied to her, his face completely straight as he looked directly at her.

Lorelei raised an eyebrow. "I told you Kane, I've had lots of men. So, that pretty much makes me an expert on their thoughts and feelings. I can tell when they're fibbing. Why do you care about me so much? I belong to your boss, I'm his girl. You know that caring for me can only get you into trouble. Don't you?"

"I don't care about you," he repeated firmly, crossing his arms and stepping backwards.

She shrugged and lifted her suitcase off her bed. "Okay. Fine then, you don't care about me. I'm sorry that I even asked. Anyways, what brings you to my apartment tonight?"

"He sent me to check on you," Kane answered. "He wanted to make sure you were one hundred percent ready before sending us all the way over to Sacramento."

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "I know that man so well that I could probably marry him before we even went on a first date. The real question is if _you're_ ready for the trip or not. When was the last time you saw your brother anyways?"

"At their funeral," Kane replied, looking at his feet, not daring to even speak their names aloud. "I had never seen him look so lost before. And when he tried to kill himself, I had never felt so guilty in my whole entire life. I couldn't even bring myself to go visit him even though his doctor kept telling me that it would be good for him to see somebody that he loved."

"Kane, it wasn't your fault. You're not the one who killed Angela and Charlotte—"

"But I might as well have been," he interjected harshly. "I knew about it and I didn't say anything to him. I hated him so much that I wanted to see him suffer. I didn't care how it happened just so long as it happened."

"Do you still hate him?" Lorelei asked, knowing what the answer would be before he even opened his mouth.

"Yes," Kane said.

She shrugged, not feeling a shred of remorse as she approached him, brushed a curl away from his forehead and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Well, then let's see what we can do about that."

**.**

Lorelei woke up early the next morning; Kane was curled up beside her, his fingers intertwined with her's She smiled down at him and just for a moment, she pretended that they were normal couple as she indulged in a series of daydreams where they were both in love with each other and happy. The baby growing in her womb was the perfect blend of both of them, and they were both ecstatic over the fact that they were going to be parents.

The sharp beep from her alarm clock jarred her out of the perfect world she was creating. With a sigh, she leaned over and shook Kane awake, before throwing back the covers and getting out of bed to start getting ready for her day.

"Ready to go?" She asked as she came out of the bathroom two hours later.

Kane's eyes widened when he saw her. "Wow. You don't look like yourself anymore."

Lorelei smiled and touched the necklace she was wearing. "Yeah, well. . . I thought if I was going to catch your brother's attention, I needed to look a little bit like the woman who has it right now. What do you think? Could I pass for Agent Teresa Lisbon?"

"You're not exactly her twin," Kane answered. "But I can definitely see some resemblance between the two of you from what I've seen of pictures and video feed. Very good work, Lorelei."

"I told you last night, I know what men want. If your brother wants feisty brunettes in work clothes then that's _exactly_ what your brother is going to get," Lorelei said as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and gave him a self-satisfied kind of smile. "Now, you're absolutely sure that this is going to work?"

"As far as I know, yes. Patrick doesn't even know that he's in love with Agent Lisbon. By the time you're finished with him and he realizes that he loves her, she won't want anything to do with him."

"Would that make you happy?" Lorelei asked. "If she doesn't want anything to do with him once I'm finished with him?"

"It'll make _him_ happy and that's all that really matters," Kane answered, grabbing her suitcase. "Come on, we have to swing by my apartment and pick up my things before we have to hit the road."

Lorelei chided herself for caring too much about Kane's feelings, and then she followed him out to his sleek Mercedes-Benz and prayed that he hadn't seen straight through her. He couldn't ever know that she was on the edge of falling in love with him.

It would only spell disaster for the both of them in the end.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**I tried to continue on from where I ended, but I couldn't keep it going. I am anxious about this chapter because I introduced Lorelei as a key player and because of the major time jump. I'm going to promise you now, Jane and Lorelei NEVER do anything. I came up with this story last year before we really knew anything** **about her. Their spending the night together never factored into my plot at all. Lorelei does **_**try **_**though and she fails epically. Hope you guys are on board for the remainder of the story. I would love to hear your thoughts.**

**Holly, 4/25/2013_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shout-Outs: Jane Doe51, ngocquevt, DanahNYPD, Marcia Santos, Chymom, and Nerwen Aldarion for reviewing chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Rated: T**

**.**

**Chapter 5**

"_Everyone who hates his brother is a murder." 1 John 3:15 (ISV, 2012)__

**Sacramento, California (CBI Headquarters) – Patrick Jane**

He was in a rare state of perfect contentment. It had been a good day, he'd solved a case in the span of 24 hours and he'd done it _without_ stepping on any toes. And now there was close cased pizza (pineapple) waiting for him in the bullpen.

He was pretty sure that, aside from catching a Red John case, _nothing_ would be able to put a damper on his good mood. In fact, he was pretty sure that a night with Lisbon and nothing to distract them, it could only improve.

But of course, _nothing_ ever went the way he planned.

As soon as he got downstairs, Van Pelt told him that Lisbon was waiting for him in her office with visitors. With a wistful look at the stack of pizzas sitting on his vacant desk, he went to see who could _possibly_ be visiting him.

**. **

"Lisbon, I hope this isn't going to take long. I hate cold pizza—"

"Hello Patrick," a familiar voice interrupted him mid-sentence.

His mouth dropped open. "Kane, what are you doing here? It's been ages since the last time I saw you!"

"Are you saying that you _aren't_ happy to see me?" His older brother asked, feigning offence. "Well, how do you like that?"

"Of course I'm happy to see you!" Jane answered quickly. "I'm just a little surprised, is all. I haven't heard from you in forever! The last time you called was at Christmas. . ."

"I'm sorry. I've just been extremely busy," he said. "I was actually out of the country for a while on business. I know I should have called sooner, but you know how life gets in the way. I'm pretty sure you've been busy too. The beautiful Agent Lisbon here was just filling me in on some of the cases you two have been taking care of lately."

"I at least sent you an e-mail to tell you that I'd be too busy to be in touch," Jane reminded him.

"You actually have an e-mail address?" Lisbon asked teasingly.

"Yes," Jane answered, shooting her a mock glare before turning to his brother. "Anyways, what brings you to Sacramento, Kane? Business or pleasure?"

"A little of both. My boss wanted me to take care of some things at the office here," Kane replied. "And you've talked so much about Teresa the past nine years that I thought it was about high time I came and met her. I can see why she's had your attention for such a long time. She's absolutely stunning, Patrick."

Jane glanced at Lisbon and saw that she was blushing furiously as she tried to come up with a polite way to shut his brother down. He decided a change of subject was completely in order.

"Who's the beautiful woman you have with you?" He asked. "Have you told me about her before?"

"That's Lorelei," Kane answered, waving a bored hand in the air. "She's just a friend."

"Well, any friend of Kane's is a friend of mine," Jane said, holding out his hand out to shake Lorelei's. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you," she replied, her voice sugary sweet. "I've heard _so_ much about you and about you too, Agent Lisbon. I feel like I know both of you already."

Lisbon cleared her throat, and Jane knew she had suddenly found her voice. "I'm going to run to the ladies room."

"I'll come with you Agent Lisbon," Lorelei said, rising to her feet. "It was a long drive. And I'm sure that Kane would love a chance to catch up with Patrick."

"Sure," Lisbon agreed, glancing at Jane. "I'll see you in a little bit, Jane. Have fun with your brother."

When Lorelei and Lisbon were both gone, Jane turned to Kane and smiled.

"So, is Lorelei really your _girlfriend _and you have to keep it a secret because she's your co-worker too?" Jane asked.

Kane blushed under his brother's scrutiny. "Of course not! You know that I don't have _girlfriends_, Patrick."

"She's your lover than or maybe a friend with benefits," Jane said. "Whatever it is, I can tell that you like her quite a bit."

"No," Kane said. "I mean, yes. I like her a lot, but Lorelei and I are just friends. That's all. She was actually interested in meeting _you_."

"Me?" Jane asked, his glance unwittingly going to the break room where Lisbon was chatting with Lorelei. "Why would she be interested in meeting _me_?"

Kane shrugged. "Probably because you're single and good-looking. You are still single, right? You and your lady cop aren't—"

"No!" Jane answered quickly, tearing his gaze away from her. "It's not like that. We're just friends. . . like you and Lorelei—"

Kane's lips curled into a smile. "Good."

Jane frowned. "Good?"

"I mean, good we didn't make this trip for nothing then. Lorelei is _really _looking forward to getting to know you better. It's all that she's talked about since I suggested she come with me to meet you," Kane answered, recovering quickly.

**.**

"You look like something's bothering you," Lisbon said when Lorelei and Kane had finally left later that evening. She sat on the edge of her couch and observed him carefully. "What's going on?

He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just trying to figure things out. . . like why my brother would show up after ten years of avoiding visiting me and cutting our phone calls short."

"Maybe he just wants to start fresh," Lisbon suggested, trying to put him at ease.

"Maybe. . ."

"Jane you're chasing shadows," she told him, immediately sensing the direction his mind was headed. "His showing up out of the blue doesn't automatically make him one of Red John's associates."

"I didn't say that—"

"But you were _thinking_ it," Lisbon said. "Don't even try and deny it. Remember, our minds are perfectly in-sync. That means I can read your thoughts."

Jane sighed. "Even when I did see Kane, it was during his summer vacation from school. Later on, he only came and saw me when he needed money or something. And then it was because I forced him to visit. I don't think he really ever wanted anything to do with me. So, can you blame me for trying to figure out what he wants now? I'm pretty sure that he's set financially and I've been giving him his space. In fact the last time I was in touch with him was when we were working the Emerson case. That was six months ago—"

Lisbon got to her feet and tugged on his wrist, smiling at him slightly. "Come on, let's go and get some dinner. I'm starving, and I can guarantee you that Rigsby ate our servings of closed case pizza. Including the one with pineapple on it."

Jane returned her smile and let her pull at him a little longer. "Agent Lisbon, are you trying to distract me?" He asked.

"Maybe a little bit," she answered. "Is it working?"

"We'll see," Jane said, standing up.

Lisbon gestured to her coat rack. "Help me with my jacket?"

"Anything for you," Jane replied, bowing jokingly before making a show of fulfilling her request.

As they left the office, they were both blissfully unaware of the pair that was watching their every move from a Mercedes-Benz across the street.

**.**

"I thought you said they weren't together!" Lorelei all but seethed as she paced around their lavish hotel room.

"They _aren't_," Kane pacified, toeing off his shoes one at a time before lining them up neatly beside Lorelei's high-heeled loafers. "You and I sleep together occasionally, but it doesn't make us a couple. Patrick and Teresa just get dinner together sometimes."

"They looked awfully cozy though," Lorelei said. She sighed, pulled down her hair and threw the hairpiece across the room. "If I don't succeed in seducing him, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Kane laughed as he came over to her, directing her steps to one of the beds. "You act like it'll be the end of the world if Patrick doesn't succumb to your charms."

"It might as well be," Lorelei replied, allowing him to guide his fingers into her hair and massage her scalp.

"He's forgiven a lot more than somebody failing one of his missions," Kane answered. "You know that just as well as I do, Lorelei."

"Would he forgive me sleeping with you?" Lorelei asked. "Would he forgive _you_ sleeping with me? Betrayal is a big thing to him, you know."

"If you're so afraid of what he's going to do to us, why are you always coming back to me?"

Lorelei closed her eyes as his lips grazed her hair. "Sometimes a girl is a glutton for punishment," she sighed.

Kane gave a short bark of laughter then, working his mouth down her neck. "I guess," he said, forgetting for a moment what they were talking about.

Lorelei sighed and rose to her feet, separating herself from him. "Not tonight, Kane. We need to stay focused. We're on a job, remember?"

"We're on the job," Kane repeated, clearing his throat slightly as he came to his senses. "Right. Well then Miss Martins, I guess I'll just have to take a rain check."

She smiled seductively at him. "I'll make it up to you soon. I promise."

**.**

His late night dinner with Lisbon almost managed to cheer him up again. They had shared dessert and she had tried to convince him that he was spending too much time obsessing over his list of Red John suspects. A part of him knew that she was right, but he couldn't bring himself to listen to her.

Obsessing would be the only thing that brought him closer to finding the elusive serial killer.

Jane wished there was a way he could get through to her. He knew that she was probably in her apartment by now, brushing her teeth and wishing the same thing about him. . . wishing that somehow she could get through to him.

He released a breath and flopped down on his bed, willing himself to think about anything _except_ for her. After a while, his thoughts turned to his brother and the mysterious woman that he'd brought with him.

Jane didn't want to suspect his brother of anything, but he couldn't shake the suspicious feeling that had been dogging him since he'd seen Kane standing in the middle of Lisbon's office.

A huge part of him hoped that Lisbon was right and that maybe everybody looked like a suspect to him just because he had been chasing "shadows" for such a long time.

He didn't know if he could handle his brother being involved with Red John. It would be the ultimate betrayal if they were associates.

It would be like losing his wife and daughter all over again. It would be like all his fears about losing Lisbon magnified.

With everything in him, Jane did _not _want Kane working for his nemesis.

With everything in him, Jane wanted to trust Kane and give him the benefit of the doubt.

But for the first time in his life, everything in him was screaming that it would be incredibly foolish to even think about doing either of those things. Brothers betraying each other were the stuff Sunday school lessons, movies of the week, and novels were made of.

There was no way that Kane would betray him.

Brothers betraying each other in real life only happened in the _most_ dysfunctional of families.

And even though they would _never_ win any family of the year awards, they certainly weren't as dysfunctional as some of the families that he and Lisbon had to deal with on a daily basis.

Despite these facts, he still couldn't shake the sneaking suspicion he _was_ wrong. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that there was more to Kane than met the eye.

Somewhere in the back of the mind, he hoped his brother would prove all his doubts wrong.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**Yeah, I'm totally unsure of this chapter. I wrote in three different parts, because yesterday was Sunday and I don't really use the computer on Sunday (except to check Facebook when I get home from church). And we had family in all weekend, so we were busy with them and I was writing in snatches. I'd love to hear your thoughts though. Just click on the box below and type up your prospective if you have the time.**

**Anyways, I don't have anything witty to say today. Mostly because I'm excited for Iron Man 3 on Friday night and the Mentalist finale on Sunday. **

**Lots of love,**

**Holly, 4/29/2013_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shout-outs: Nerwen Aldarion, Guest, Chymom, and Jane Doe51 for reviewing chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that has to pertain with the Mentalist.**

**Rated: T**

**. **

**Chapter 6**

**Sacramento, California – Lorelei Martins**

"_Oh here she comes. Watch out boy, she'll chew you up. She's a Maneater." Maneater, Hall & Oats__

One week. That's how long she and Kane had been in Sacramento.

And Patrick Jane still _wasn't_ eating from the palm of her hand. She still didn't have him wrapped around her little finger. He was oblivious to the cleavage and the high heels and dark red lipstick she meticulously applied before she saw him. If she didn't know any better, Lorelei would have guessed that he was a homosexual. Because since she'd blossomed into a woman, no normal, red-blooded American male had _ever_ rejected her advances or denied her _one_ thing she wanted.

Teresa Lisbon had nothing on her. Everything from her modest, button-down shirts to the way she followed the rules to a complete_ T_ screamed that she was a complete and utter bore. What Patrick Jane saw in her, Lorelei did _not_ know.

Lisbon was the key to the whole plan. If they could get rid of her, Jane was certain to finally give Red John everything that he wanted. His loyalty for Lisbon's life, it would be an offer that he couldn't refuse.

Lorelei closed her tube of lipstick and unbuttoned another button on her blouse. Jane was going to pay attention to her this time. He wasn't going to deny her again, not if she had anything to do with it. She desperately needed to distract him. Her life, the life of her unborn child and maybe even Kane's depended on this plan working out.

**.**

"You can do it," Kane said as they sat outside Jane's hotel room. He pulled a silver flask out of his pocket. "Liquid courage—"

Lorelei shook her head. "No. Not today, I need to stay focused."

"Come on," Kane coaxed. "Just a _little_ nip. Come on Lore, it's your favorite—"

Lorelei's hand hovered over her stomach for a moment and then she dropped it as she shook her head. "No. I want to do this without alcohol clouding my judgment tonight. You know what a _little_ nip can do to me, Kane."

Kane released a deep breath and shrugged as he put the flask back in his pocket. "Okay. Maybe later then, we can do it in celebration of a job well done."

"Half a job well done," Lorelei reminded him. "You still need to take care of Lisbon. We can celebrate when she's safely in _his_ hands and Patrick is willing to do anything to get her back."

"So, you want me to go and kidnap her right now?" Kane asked.

"That would be too easy," Lorelei said. "You need to wait until she's vulnerable. I need a few days with Patrick to shake her confidence. . . to make her question their relationship and what's really going on between them. _Then_ you can swoop in and be her knight in shining white armor. We've went over the plan a dozen times, Kane. You should know it inside and out by now."

"You know it well enough for the both of us, I can count on you to remind me when I forget."

Lorelei rolled her eyes and flipped her hair. "We're wasting time just sitting here. I'm going in."

"Okay," Kane said. "Good luck."

She paused for a second and looked at him carefully. "Are you okay with this Kane? I mean with my seducing your brother when you and I—"

"It's just a job," Kane answered. "And there's nothing really going on between you and me. I don't have any right to mind what you do or who you see."

Lorelei nodded. "I know. I'm just going to go now."

"Okay," Kane said. "I'll be waiting for you. Good luck."

Lorelei smiled and fluffed her hair. "Thanks."

**.**

"Patrick!" Lorelei said, pasting on her best seductive smile when he had opened the door.

"Lorelei, what are you doing here?" He asked, looking more than surprised to see her.

She laughed breezily. "I came to see _you_, silly."

"I'm sorry Lorelei, but I was just on my way out to the grocery store. I need to pick up a few things—"

Lorelei pouted. "But I was really hoping that we could get to know each other better. The past few times I've tried, you've blown me off—"

"I'm really not looking for anything serious right now," Jane answered, coming out of his room and pulling out his key.

"Me either," Lorelei whispered as she inched closer to him and ran her hand down his vest. "All I want is one or two nights."

"I'm flattered, really but I'm just not interested."

"Would you be interested if I were Teresa Lisbon?" Lorelei asked sarcastically, trying desperately to keep her temper down.

"That's really none of your business," Jane answered evenly. "Now, I really have to go. Do you need a ride back to your hotel? Taxi fare? I could call Kane and have him swing by—"

"It's fine," Lorelei replied evenly. "Thanks anyways. I'll see you later, Patrick."

"That was fast," Kane teased as she got back into the car. "I knew that he hasn't been with anyone in a while, but—"

"He told me that he wasn't interested," Lorelei said. "He's not interested in _me_. I mean a man has to be blind or gay not to be interested in me—"

"I understand that this is a setback," Kane soothed. "You just need to give it a little more time, I'm sure you'll wear him down eventually."

"The only thing wearing down is my _patience_," Lorelei told him. "If I have to wait any longer, it might be gone! Kane, you have no idea what's going on here. I'm skating on thin ice already because I've slept with you. If I fail at this, who's to say that he won't kill me on the spot?"

"You're worrying too much," Kane said. "You're one of his favorite girls, I'm sure that he won't think about touching a hair on your head."

Lorelei scoffed and shook her head. "You're so far deep into this thing, you can't see what he's truly capable of. I love him with everything in me. But I still see what he is every single time I turn on the news and they're reporting one of his murders. I see it every single time he has me go and seduce somebody, or when he acts out on revenge. I see it in your eyes when he has you kill somebody for him—"

Kane held up his hand, signaling the end of the conversation. "That's enough, Lorelei. Let's just go back to the hotel and discuss a way to approach this situation from a new angle. Because whether you see it or not, I don't want to disappoint him either."

**.**

"Maybe I could get him to sleep with me if he knew I worked for Red John," Lorelei said as she gorged herself on rocky road ice cream and cool ranch Doritos.

"You're going to make yourself sick," Kane replied, prying the bag of chips from her fingers. "This Lorelei, this is disgusting."

"My eating habits really aren't any of your business," Lorelei answered as she tried to grab the bag back. "The only thing that is, is how I'm going to seduce your brother. Now, should I drop a hint that I'm working for Red John or not?"

"I don't think so," Kane said carefully. "He might figure out that I am too, and that might blow the whole plan."

"Well, I don't see how we're going to get this to work any other way. None of my usual techniques are working. He didn't even fall for the whole siren thing."

"Siren thing?" Kane asked, frowning slightly

"A siren takes on form of the thing or the person somebody most desires. In Patrick's case, he desires Teresa. So, I dressed like her and did my hair like her because I was hoping that it would get his attention. It didn't."

"My brother is one of the most faithful people I know," Kane said. "Maybe he thinks sleeping with you would be a betrayal to Angie. I honestly think that's why he hasn't acted out on his feelings for Teresa. It's so obvious to anybody watching them that there's something between them."

Lorelei rolled her eyes. "But a corpse can't keep you warm at night, and Teresa Lisbon is so boring and uptight. I don't know why he feels like he has to be faithful to either of them."

Kane shrugged and folded up the bag of Doritos before tossing it on the nightstand. "I can't explain my brother to you. Telling him would be a bad idea; he'd just want to stick you in a safe house somewhere until you agreed to tell him where Red John is. And if you told him, I definitely wouldn't count on being alive by the end of the week."

"Then what are we going to do?"

"Maybe it's time for a more direct approach," Kane said.

"I'm practically throwing myself at him!" Lorelei answered. "Anything more direct could get me into trouble. I'd probably have handcuffs on me faster than you could say Miranda."

"I'm not talking about doing anything like that; maybe you could kiss him when he isn't looking. Touch him more. . . you practically do this for a living, Lore. I'm sure you don't need _me_ to tell you how to do it."

"Maybe," Lorelei agreed, discarding her empty ice cream carton on the floor and sliding towards him. "But your part Jane, you _must _know what Jane men like _especially_."

"Feisty women who like to take charge," Kane answered as he caught her hand and kissed it. "Give it a try with Patrick. I'm sure that you'll finally get the results you're looking for."

"I hope so," Lorelei said, barely grazing his lips with her's before sliding off the bed. "Because I sure am looking forward to finishing this job and going home."

"Yeah," Kane agreed as he watched her disappear into the bathroom. "I am too."

**.**

"I told you that Doritos and rocky road ice cream was a bad idea," Kane told her as he held her hair back an hour later and she emptied the contents of her stomach.

"And I hate the words _I told you so_," Lorelei retorted as she flushed the toilet and got to her feet. She rummaged through her toiletry bag for a hair piece and her tooth brush.

Kane held up his hands. "Okay. I'm sorry. How about I go get you a ginger ale and some ice chips to soothe your stomach?"

"You don't have to," Lorelei said quickly as she rinsed her tooth brush and put a dab of toothpaste on it. "I'm feeling much better now."

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Kane asked, leaning against the counter and watching her carefully.

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"You've been eating differently and you're throwing up a lot these days," Kane replied. "There has to be something wrong."

"Women stuff," Lorelei answered quickly. "Sometimes I get weird cravings or sick around that time of the month. It's nothing for you to worry about."

"Okay," Kane said skeptically. "If you're _sure_."

Lorelei nodded. "I am. I just want to go back to bed and get some sleep. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Fine. I'll go and get that ginger ale, just in case you wake up and need it later on."

Lorelei managed a smile. "That's very sweet of you Kane, thank you."

He brought her back to the bed and helped her get comfortable before he grabbed his wallet and slipped out to the vending machines.

When the hotel room door had closed, Lorelei curled up into a ball, covered her stomach with her left hand and she wept.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**I was going to go on, but I thought that ending there was better than dragging it out. And I sprained two fingers, using them NOT to type kind of hurts. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And that you'll tell me your thoughts.**

**And I hope you're crash helmets are set for tomorrow night. I'll see you guys after the finale.**

**Cheers!**

**Love,**

**Holly, 5/4/2013_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shout-outs: Nerwen Aldarion, Marcia Santos, Guest, and Jane Doe51**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Rated: T**

**.**

**Chapter 7**

**Patrick Jane – Sacramento, California**

"_There are no good girls gone wrong. Just bad girls found out." Mae West__

Lorelei Martins was becoming a nuisance. While his brother was never around because he was too busy with a 'work thing', she was always there trying to entice him with a glossy-lipped pout and a blouse that had one too many buttons undone. So far, he had successfully avoided her attempts to seduce him, but he knew that he couldn't deter her much longer.

Not unless he played his hand.

He knew the secret she was trying desperately keep hidden from everybody else around them.

Jane just wished he had thought to mention it to her the _first_ time she had tried to wheedle and while her way into his life. Maybe if he had, it would have discouraged her to back off and look for somebody else to sink her bright red hooks into.

Maybe if he had, she wouldn't be standing in front of him right now like every man's dream come true. He shook his head and took a step backwards, enough was enough.

"Does Kane know you're pregnant?" He asked.

Lorelei looked shocked for a moment, and then she shrugged like she suddenly remembered exactly who she was talking to. "No. And I prefer to keep it that way, if he finds out then it will ruin everything."

"Everything?" Jane repeated. "What'll happen? He might actually want to do the right thing by you and get married?"

"It's nothing like that!" She answered, her dark eyes flashing in the murky light of the attic. "You wouldn't understand, your life is so simple Patrick. Everything in your world is black and white."

"He is the father of your child, he has a right to know about it Lorelei!" Jane told her, ignoring her comment about how easy his life was. "Are you planning on _ever_ telling him?"

"No," Lorelei answered. "As far as he'll know, the baby could be anybody's. You see Patrick; I've had lots of men in the past four months. I'm not a nice girl and Kane knows it."

"He'll know the baby is his," Jane said. "Our breed is a very distinctive lot. We know our kids right when we see them."

"Well, if that's _true_ then I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now though, his not knowing is of the utmost importance. And please, don't do your stupid mind tricks and try to figure out why."

"Do you really think things will ever be the same between the two of you when he finds out that you lied to him for nine months?"

"It might be for the best if they aren't," Lorelei replied. "You see, things should never have even started between us in the first place. I went to him at a low point in my life. . . when somebody I'm actually in love with had rejected me for somebody else."

"You kept going back though," Jane said. "You desperately crave a man's attention, and you'll take it from whoever will offer it to you."

A cloud of anger shadowed Lorelei's face at his words, but she schooled her features and shrugged. "So what? You know, with the way you treat Teresa, I'm surprised that she doesn't have a boyfriend in every city of California."

Jane blanched slightly and Lorelei smirked, satisfied that her barb had hit him below the belt.

After a second, he pointed towards the door. "I would appreciate if you would stop attempting to seduce me, Lorelei. I don't believe in keeping it in the family. Now go, we're finished now."

**.**

"What's the matter?" Lisbon asked as Jane joined her on the rooftop a few minutes later.

"What? Oh, nothing," Jane answered. "Well, actually. . ."

"Actually?" she prodded as she handed him a spoon.

He looked around quickly and then lowered his voice. "Lorelei's pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Lisbon repeated, grinning at him teasingly. "Are you the father, Jane?"

Jane made a face. "Haha, you're funny Lisbon. But no, I'm not the father."

She sat back in the chair and studied him closely. "Kane's the father, isn't he? You wouldn't be telling me that Lorelei was pregnant if he _wasn't_ the father."

"Yes," Jane answered. "Kane is the father but he doesn't know. Lorelei hasn't told him about the pregnancy yet."

"That's not unusual. Sometimes a woman won't tell the father until she's sure it's what he wants. . . Jane, you don't look too good. What's wrong?"

Jane shook his head. "Nothing."

"You're not being honest with me," Lisbon said. "I know there's something bothering you. Are you afraid that Red John will go after Lorelei now that she's carrying your niece or nephew? Because I could make a couple of phone calls—"

"No," Jane answered. "I mean, of course that's a concern. But it's more than that, at first I thought she was afraid because she might have to make a commitment. Then she said that things between my brother and her should have never started in the first place and that she went to him because somebody she loved had rejected her—"

"Do you think she's married?" Lisbon asked, taking the spoon back and taking a bite of ice cream.

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. She asked me not to try and figure out what she was talking about."

Lisbon smiled at him over her sundae bowl. "Something you can't know, you must be going crazy right now."

"Just because Lorelei asked me _not_ to try and figure out what she was talking about, doesn't mean that I'll actually do it."

Her smile faded and she pushed the rest of her ice cream away. "Jane. . ."

"Lisbon, I'm so close to actually figuring out who Red John is, I wouldn't put it past him to send somebody to me."

"And your brother knowing her? How does that factor in to whatever theory that you're formulating in that handsome head of yours?

"I'm not even sure right now," Jane admitted. "Nothing makes sense. And I'm afraid if I really think about it, I'm not going to like what I come up with."

"Don't think about it then," Lisbon whispered as she touched his hand lightly. "Maybe if you're patient and don't obsess about it, the answers will come to you on their own."

Jane covered her hand with his free one and sighed as his gaze wondered out over the skyline. "I wish that were true."

**.**

**Kane Reynolds**

"What do you mean that it isn't going to work?" He asked, pacing around the hotel room and raking his fingers through his hair.

Lorelei shrugged and slipped her stilettos into her suitcase. "Exactly what I said, it just isn't going to work. I think he's in love with somebody else—"

"We already established _that _Lorelei," Kane snapped. "That's what was supposed to make the plan work. We had to take away the one person that Jane loved more than anybody else in this world—"

"Why do you hate him so much?" Lorelei asked, turning around so they were nose-to-nose.

"I don't—"

"Don't lie to me, Kane!" She said, hitting him on the chest. "I told you a couple weeks ago that I _know_ men. That means I can tell when a man doesn't like another man. What did he ever do to you? From what I've seen the past few days, he adores you."

Kane shook his head and brushed past her. "You wouldn't understand, Lorelei. You don't have siblings."

"I did once—"

"And you loved her to death. You wouldn't understand why I hate my brother, why I want to see him suffer so much. You wouldn't understand unless you had a brother like him."

"Kane. . ."

"No! I don't want to discuss this with you!"

"All I was going to say is that maybe we should go back and regroup. I'm pretty sure that he'd understand it isn't our fault that we failed this. I know he'd give us a second chance—"

"You can go back," Kane answered, grabbing his suit jacket off the couch.

"And what do you want me to tell him when I show up all alone tonight?" Lorelei asked, following him to the door. "That you decided to spend some quality time with your brother? I'm sure he won't believe _that_."

"You're a good liar," he said. "I'm sure that you'll be able to come up with something good."

Lorelei grabbed his sleeve, the truth was on the tip of her tongue. "Kane. . ."

He looked at her, imploring her with his eyes to just let him go without argument.

Her hand dropped and she faltered slightly. Then she lifted her chin and smiled at him almost defiantly. "I'm not letting you stay here by yourself. I'll be waiting for you when you get back from wherever it is that you're going. Just be careful, okay?"

"Lorelei. . . whatever happens after this, I don't want you to be involved."

"Too late, I'm already involved. I can't get out now. Not even if I wanted to."

Kane shook his head and then sighed. "Okay, fine. But don't wait up for me, okay? I don't know when I'm going to come back tonight."

Lorelei nodded and then stood on tip-toe, she looked at him for a moment before she kissed him quickly on the lips. "See you in the morning," she whispered.

"Sweet dreams," Kane replied, pulling the door closed and not looking back as he started down the hallway towards the elevators.

In the back of his mind, he hoped that Lorelei and their master would forgive him for what he was going to do him next.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**Lorelei is being the most UNCOOPERATIVE character right now. And this chapter was all over the place, I just sat at the laptop this afternoon and typed for a couple of hours. I hope this all made sense and that what's coming next won't be too shocking in a bad way.**

**I am anxious awaiting your reviews.**

**Holly, 5/10/2013_**

**P.S**

**I think this is the last major AU that I'm going to write. . . for obvious reasons.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Shout-Outs: Jane Doe 51, Guest, Chymom, and Marcia Santos **

**Author's Note: **

**We have a guest author today. The first part of this chapter was written by my good friend Nerwen Aldarion, without her things probably would have never moved along quickly. This chapter's quote is "Never Let Me Go" by Florence + the Machine. I listened to it on repeat while I wrote this, so even if it doesn't fit. It does.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Rated: Strong T**

**.**

**Chapter 8**

**Teresa Lisbon – Sacramento, California: CBI, Headquarters**

"_It's breaking over me, a thousand miles down to the sea, babe." Never Let Me Go, Florence + the Machine__

It was late in the evening and Lisbon was finishing up some paperwork after an equally long day. Home was calling her name, maybe even a bubble bath with a good book and a glass of wine. She rarely ever got indulge that feminine side of her but tonight might just be the night for it.

Her skin prickled and Lisbon looked up to see Jane's brother staring at her. His eyes were dark though; there was something predatory in his gaze that she didn't like. "Hello, Kane," Lisbon said, determined to be friendly at the very least. "I'm sorry if you are looking for Jane, I don't know where he is."

"Don't worry about it," Kane replied.

She stood up, giving him a small smile. "Actually I was just about to leave myself." Lisbon told him. "I could call Jane for you if you—."

But she was cut off by Kane suddenly grabbing her arm and wrenching it behind her back. Lisbon cried out in pain but her instincts kicked in, she turned to try and punch him but Kane was a lot faster then his brother…and apparently much more physical. He bent her over the desk, she heard the sound of her picture frame falling to the floor and a pen dug uncomfortably into her stomach. She groped for something she could hit or stab him with but Kane grabbed her one free hand and pulled it behind her back to join the other. He had them both in a tight grip with one of his and Lisbon realized she was essentially defenseless. Somehow Kane had managed to take down a cop as if she were little more than a child.

Who the hell was he?

"What are you doing?" Lisbon asked, her teeth gritted from pain and anger.

Kane actually laughed cruelly and whispered into her ear. "I hate it that my brother always gets the nice things."

"What?"

He leaned even closer, his body flush against hers and Lisbon realized exactly what he intended. "My turn."

She began to struggle, more objects falling from the desk but that only seemed to excite Kane more. He hauled her up against him so he could reach down and cruelly squeeze one breast through her top. Lisbon refused to show him how afraid she was. Instead she twisted as much as she could. "You're a real sick son of a bitch."

Kane shoved her back down onto the desk and Lisbon knew just how far he was going to take this. But then suddenly she heard him let out grunt in pain and Kane released her. Lisbon turned around to see Kane had fallen against her table, the chess pieces scattering on the floor and he was rubbing his jaw.

Jane was standing nearby and she saw the dark look of pure rage on his face. "You stay away from her." He warned, his voice low and threatening.

But Kane actually laughed. "I didn't know you had it in you, little brother."

He stared at Kane with a very hard look. "Get out," Jane ordered.

Kane chuckled again and got to his feet, as if this was all just a game. "I am sorry we were interrupted, Agent Lisbon. It would have been fun." He winked at her before walking out of her office.

They stared after him for a very long time until finally Jane turned to look at Lisbon. She just gaped at him while Jane walked over to her. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "He wasn't going to stop. He really wasn't going to stop."

It's going to be okay."

"He knew what to do…he knew exactly what to do. My God, Jane! Who is your brother exactly?"

"I'm not even sure I know anymore. But I don't know want you anywhere near him until I can at least get rid of him. I want you to call Tommy and see if he'll let you stay with him for the weekend—"

"But Jane—!" Lisbon began.

Jane shook his head. "Please Lisbon. If anything happened to you. . ." he trailed off, letting the thought hang in the air, unfinished.

"Jane, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," she reminded him gently.

"Humor me," he said. "If you don't then I'll just make the call myself."

"How are you going to do that?" Lisbon asked. "You don't know the number—"

"Annie and I exchanged numbers in case of an emergency," Jane answered. "I think she would agree that this constitutes as an emergency."

Lisbon sighed and slid her phone out of her pocket. "I'll make the call. But only because I don't want you saying anything that's going to worry them."

"It's okay to be afraid, you know. I am too," he whispered.

"I'm not afraid," she replied quickly, avoiding his eyes.

"You're shaking like a leaf," Jane told her. "Don't even _try_ and deny it, I know shaking when I see it."

"I'll be okay," she told him as she pulled her brother's number up on her phone and pressed the send button. She took a deep breath, trying to banish the fear and then she pasted a fake smile on. "Hey Tommy, its Teresa. I was wondering if I could come and stay with you and Annie for a couple of days. I came into some unexpected vacation time. How soon? Well, I was thinking I could come in an hour or two. Okay. Sounds good, I'll see you soon. Love you. 'Bye."

"Well?" Jane asked anxiously.

"He said I could stay with them for as long as I wanted to," Lisbon answered, putting her phone away.

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I'll take you home and wait for you to get your stuff. Then I'll drive you to San Francisco."

"Really Jane, I'll be fine!" Lisbon protested. "I'm sure Kane won't be bothering me again—"

"Let me take you for my_ own_ sake then," Jane said. "I'd feel a lot better if you did. . ."

"Fine," she agreed after a moment. "I'll let you take me to my brother's. But I want to take my car back to my apartment. Okay?"

"Only if you let me check it before we leave the parking lot," he replied.

Lisbon smiled inspite of herself. "Do you really think that's necessary?"

"Maybe not, but it'll make me feel a lot better if I do."

"Okay then," Lisbon said quietly. "I'll let you check my car."

After a thorough search, Jane deemed the vehicle safe to drive and then he told Lisbon to wait for him while he got his own car from across the parking lot.

Thirty minutes later, she was sliding into his Citroen. They made the hour and twenty-seven minute drive in relative silence, the only thing that filled the quiet space between them was a bluesy, jazz song on the radio.

Neither of them could put into words how grateful they were that Jane had showed up when he had. Both of them were trying to push the worst case scenarios to the back, dark corners of their minds.

Before they knew it, the drive was over and the car was idling in Tommy's driveway. After a few minutes, Lisbon cleared her throat and smiled at Jane.

"Thanks for tonight. I don't know what I would have done without you. You were my knight in shining white armor."

"Well, I figured that I owed you after all the times you've rescued me," Jane answered, only half joking.

"Yeah. . . well, it still meant a lot to me," Lisbon said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I'll try to get rid of both Kane and Lorelei before the weekend is over. You know, so you won't have to miss any work."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Lisbon—"

"Jane—"

"You first," Jane said, motioning for her to go on.

"It was nothing," Lisbon answered. "What about you?"

"Nothing," Jane echoed with a sigh. "Nothing at all."

"Oh. Well, I better get going then," Lisbon said. "You know. . . because Tommy and Annie are waiting for me."

Jane nodded. "Right, you wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

"Jane. . ." she said her voice just a little bit husky as she inched closer to him, their lips only a breath away.

Suddenly, he knew what was going to come next. And as much as he wanted it to happen, he _didn't_. It would only be tainted by fear and sweat and an attempted assault. In all the nights he'd spent imagining their first kiss; it had never followed anything like what he'd just experienced with her.

He was relieved when somebody pounded on the passenger side of his car, causing her to jerk away from him.

"It's probably Tommy, he's been watching us from the porch for the past five minutes," he told her.

Lisbon blushed. "Oh."

"Come on," Jane said, unbuckling his belt and turning the car off. "They're looking forward to seeing you."

"You're right," Lisbon replied, opening her door.

"Hey sis!" Tommy said as soon as she had stepped outside, he enveloped her in a hug. "It's good to see you again! You too Jane! Are you planning to stay for a while?"

"Not tonight," Jane answered as he popped the trunk open and retrieved Lisbon's suitcase. "I have some urgent things to attend to in Sacramento, I'm afraid. Maybe when I come and pick up Teresa though. But you can tell Annie that I said hello."

"I will," Tommy agreed, taking Lisbon's bag from Jane. "I'm going into check on dinner. I'll just leave you to say your goodbyes."

"You'll be okay?" Jane asked after he had disappeared.

She nodded. "I think so. You'll be okay?"

"I think so," he replied, smiling at her. "Call me if you need anything."

"Call me," Lisbon said. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Jane answered. "Thankfully, this is only temporary."

Lisbon nodded her chin towards the car. "Go on now. It's a long drive back to Sacramento."

Jane gathered her up into his arms and held her for a long time. "Be safe," he pleaded.

"I promise," she whispered. "You be safe too."

He nodded and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "I will."

And then he was gone.

Lisbon whispered a silent prayer that nothing would happen to him.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**I am SO unsure of this chapter, I feel like it was all over the place. Please tell me your thoughts, even if it sucked. But could you tell me the latter part nicely? Thank you. **

**Until next time!**

**Love,**

**Holly, 5/17/2013_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

**I know it's been 11 days since I last updated, but I got wicked sick last week. I don't know if it was the flu or just a pre-summer cold. But whatever it was, I didn't have the energy to do anything and I actually didn't think about this until this past Saturday and I had my friend over for a visit. I am truly sorry for the delay though. I promise that I won't take as long updating this time; in fact I'm already tossing ideas around for chapter 10. This chapter was inspired by "Slow Life" By Grizzly Bear. **

**Shout-Outs: Jane Doe51, Guest, Marcia Santos, and Nerwen Aldarion for reviewing chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: I'm too young to own anything Mentalist related. **

**Rated: T**

**.**

**Chapter 9**

**Kane Reynolds – Sacramento, California**

"_And brother will deliver brother over to death." Mark 13: 12 (ESV)__

He was pretty sure that his life was over. He had tried to assault a federal officer and he had gone against his boss all at the same time. He had managed to ruin his life in a matter of a few seconds. And now he was probably headed for jail.

Or worst, the morgue.

Because Red John certainly wasn't exactly the forgiving type, he didn't even hold a grudge. When he was really angry with somebody, their death certificate was as good as signed. There wouldn't be a shot at redemption or any second chances. His good opinion once lost, was lost forever.

Kane sighed and downed his Bloody Mary, reluctant to go back to Lorelei. There was no way that he could drag her into the mess he had made. She was probably in enough trouble already, because she had failed to seduce her target.

Suddenly, all he wanted to do was grab Lorelei and get out of the hell they had created for themselves. But leaving was the _ultimate_ cardinal sin. They had plunged too many knives into an unsuspecting victim, left too many calling cards in bloody red smiles. They had signed a deal with the devil. There would be no getting out alive, or happily ever after's.

The only thing there would be were two more mangled bodies in a morgue, two more coffins to buy, two more funerals to plan, and one more death that Patrick would blame himself for.

And he was already shouldering too much guilt with the deaths of Charlie and Angie. As much as Kane hated his brother, he didn't want him to have _his_ death on his conscience. For some reason, it just didn't seem fair to do that to him.

Although, Kane was pretty sure that the morgue and Patrick's guilty conscience was going to be inevitable regardless if he stayed with Red John or not.

He ordered another drink and for a moment, he stopped trying to figure out what to do.

He was pretty sure that there was somebody out in the world somewhere already figuring it out for him.

**.**

The next day, he woke up with a pounding headache and his brother making coffee with the Kruger in the makeshift kitchen.

"Where's Lorelei?" He asked, the room spinning around as he got to his feet.

"I sent her to go and get some breakfast," Patrick answered. "I needed to talk to you alone."

"She's pressing charges, isn't she?" Kane asked, as he fell back into bed and covered his eyes with his arm.

"Lisbon is not pressing charges," he replied, coming to his bed and putting a mug down on the nightstand.

"Lucky me," Kane muttered. "What are you doing here anyways? Did you come to beat me up some more?"

"Don't tempt me," Patrick said dryly.

"Then what brings you here? Why aren't you with your _precious_ Teresa, trying to reassure her that everything will be okay?"

"She doesn't need me to do _that_, she's stronger than she looks. I need to talk to you though. What on earth were you thinking, Kane? You tried to assault an officer of the law in a federal building no less!"

"I _wasn't_ thinking, Patrick!" Kane lied.

"You weren't thinking?" He repeated.

Kane didn't have to open his eyes to know that his brother was staring at him with a look of disbelief on his face.

"You don't understand," he said, ignoring the wave of nausea that washed over him as he got back up and pushed past Patrick.

"I want to," Patrick told him, following him to the bathroom. "Why can't you talk to me? Why _won't_ you talk to me?"

Kane whirled around and looked him square in the eyes. "For somebody so smart, you sure miss _a lot_! I _hate_ you, Patrick! I've _always _hated you."

For a moment, Patrick looked stunned. And then he shrugged, like hearing the words _I hate you_ was an everyday occurrence for him. "Okay."

"Don't you even _care_?" Kane asked, wishing that he would do something. . . _anything_ that would validate his hatred towards him.

"What difference does it make if I care or not? You're still going to hate me regardless."

Kane sighed and scrubbed his face wearily. "Just leave, I'm not in the mood for you right now."

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me," Patrick replied stubbornly. "Tell me why you did it."

Kane shook his head. "No. It's a long story and it will most likely get me into trouble."

"All I want to do is help, Kane."

Kane looked at him. "Why? Why do you want to help me so much?"

"Because I love you," he answered simply.

"Well _don't_ love me! I don't want you to love—"

"Lorelei's pregnant," Patrick blurted out, stopping him mid-sentence.

Kane's mouth dropped open. _"What!?" _

"Lorelei's pregnant," he repeated. "With _your_ child, Kane. Do you still not want my help?"

"I don't understand, what do you mean that Lorelei's pregnant? She can't be. . . we weren't even supposed to be together. . ."

Patrick shrugged. "Things happen."

"Hold on a second, is Agent Lisbon _not_ pressing charges because Lorelei's having a baby?" Kane asked.

"Partly," Patrick said.

"But what if I don't want it? Any of it? Lorelei. . . the baby, a nice normal life with a dog and a house? Is she going to press charges _then_?"

"Lisbon and I didn't talk about it. But I'm pretty sure that we don't need to. You'll do the right thing."

Kane shook his head. "Don't be so sure, Patrick. I've never done the right thing before."

"There's always a first time for everything," Patrick told him, smiling in the way he did when he knew a secret that nobody else did.

"Don't be so sure," Kane replied. "I'm not a family man. I'm not even a _one_ woman kind of man. Lorelei has lasted the longest—"

"Are you done making excuses yet? Because if you are, we still have a lot to talk about. I want to help—"

"What are you going to do? Whip out your wallet and wave your credit card around or shell out a couple grand to magically make everything all better?" Kane asked sarcastically. "I'm not interested in charity and I'm definitely not interested in hitching myself to Lorelei for the rest of my life. She's fun, but she's a tramp."

"So what? It isn't like you're going to bring her home to father and mother. Dad doesn't care a thing about either of us now that we can't make him a fast dollar. And as far as I know, you haven't talked to your mother in years. I'm the only family that you've got right now, and I don't care about who Lorelei is just as long as you do right by her."

"You only say _that_ because you don't know a thing about who she is or what she does. If you did, you'd be singing a completely different tune,"

"Stop saying that I don't know anything and start talking to me!" Patrick all but demanded. "Because I _want_ to know, I _want_ to understand."

Kane decided to go with half-truths.

"Lorelei and I got involved with the wrong people."

Patrick frowned. "Well, can't you get out?"

Kane shook his head. "No. Once you're in, you're in for life. The only way out is in a body bag."

"Kane—"

"I know you don't understand, Patrick. But that's all I'm going to tell you. For the past 18 years, these people have been my family. You don't betray family."

As he said this, Kane cringed.

Because it wasn't true.

Sometimes you _did_ betray family.

He had done it on more than several occasions. He had betrayed his brother for the price of being a mad man's disciple. He had betrayed Angie and Charlie for the price of seeing Patrick suffer. He was betraying Lorelei and the little life growing in her womb for the price of his life.

He was the world's biggest hypocrite.

Betraying his family was his specialty.

"I know what you mean," Patrick said, breaking into his thoughts. "I would never betray any of my co-workers."

He had a far off look in his eyes and Kane just knew that he was thinking specifically about Lisbon, wherever she was.

A wave of guilt crashed down over him.

"Patrick," he said without thinking. "I know who Red John is."

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

**So, the big reveal. I am anxious to hear your thoughts about this chapter, drop a review and tell me! Meanwhile, I'll be working on chapter 10.**

**Until next time!**

**Holly, 5/29/13**


	10. Chapter 10

**Shout-outs: Guest, Guest, Marcia Santos, and Jane Doe51 for leaving feedback the last chapter.**

**Author's Note: Excuse of the week, I had a lot going on this week. I'm in the process of changing churches, and I had to get ready for my aunt's visit this week. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I did who knows what the show would look like.**

**.**

**Chapter 10**

**Patrick Jane**

"_I felt every ounce of me screaming out, but the sound was trapped deep in me." Signal Fire, Snow Patrol__

He should have been going crazy. Not only had his brother tried to sexually assault his partner, but he was working for the man who had made his life an absolute hell. But much to his surprise, he was the picture of calm.

He exhaled deeply and asked with trepidation, "Did you kill them, Kane? Did you kill Angela and Charlotte?"

Kane shook his head. "No. No, I didn't kill them."

Jane was still a mask of calm, his body didn't even trembling as he continued interrogating his brother. "Well, do you know who killed them?"

Kane nodded once. "You do too."

Jane's whole body grew numb when he heard this. "I do? Who is it?"

"He was the man that you shot in the shopping mall a few years ago. Timothy Carter was the man who murdered Angie and Charlie," Kane replied, like he was ordering the soup and salad for lunch and not telling him news that could potentially alter his life forever.

"Timothy Carter was the man who murdered Angie and Charlie?" Jane repeated.

Kane nodded. "Yes. How else do you think he knew those things he told you?"

"I always assumed that Red John had told him what to say. . ." he trailed off and shook his head. He felt like he'd been knocked over by a tidal wave and no matter how hard that he tried, he would never be able to surface again.

"You never suspected for a moment that you had really killed the man who was responsible for the deaths of your family?" Kane asked, a little more than surprised by his brother's shock.

"No," Jane answered. "I never thought he was anything more than a loyal scrape goat. . ."

Kane laughed. "Unless it's a very _special_ situation, Red John almost always has somebody else do his dirty work for him. Don't look so stunned, brother. You didn't actually think that you were significant enough for him to get blood on his own hands, did you?"

"I—" Jane faltered and shook his head. "I always knew that he had a large network of loyal followers that were willing to die for him, but I never thought that it was this big. To take the fall for a man who wouldn't return the favor, just seems inconceivable to me."

"You're no better than him," Kane taunted. "Look at Agent Lisbon; she's _always_ taking the fall for _you_. And what do you do for her? _Nothing_ at all, you're too selfish to even tell her that you love her."

"I'm not anything like him. I would gladly take a bullet for Lisbon or for you if I had to. I'd take one for each and every one of my team members. And I would take one for Lorelei too, because she's carrying my family. I'd like to see Red John do half as much for you."

"You don't understand—"

"No, I don't. And I don't think I want to," Jane interjected, turning away from him. "I have to go; I can't even talk to you right now."

"What are you going to do?" Kane asked. "Are you going to call the police or run and tattle on me to Lisbon?"

Jane didn't even dignify his question with a response; he just wrenched the hotel door and left without looking back.

**.**

He drove to San Francisco like he was on autopilot. He _needed_ to get to Lisbon before the insanity finally managed to take over him. She would help him sort everything out just like she always did. She would be his voice of reason, just like she always was.

When he finally reached Tommy's house, he sat in the driveway for a few minutes and tried to compose his thoughts before he saw Lisbon. But it was no use, his mind was racing a million miles a minute and there wasn't any use of slowing it down. He knew it wouldn't matter to her what state he was in; she was used to him being a mess.

So, he turned the car off and made the short walk to the front door.

He raised his hand heavily and knocked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

It seemed like an eternity before she finally answered the door.

And when she finally did, he couldn't find the words to speak, to answer her unspoken question of what he was doing there. It took him a moment or two, and then he collapsed into her arms and fell apart.

He didn't know how long they stood in her doorway before she finally pulled him inside and led him to the room she was staying in. She sat him down and pulled his shoes off. Then she helped him out of his jacket and vest.

"Lie down," she whispered as she got into bed and tugged him down next to her. "Let me hold you until everything's better again."

He complied, wanting nothing more in that moment than her to do just that. When he was settled next to her, she turned and put her arms around him. He reciprocated the gesture, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, gently stroking his hair.

"Maybe later," he answered, closing his eyes and releasing a deep breath.

"Later," Lisbon agreed, pressing a tender kiss to the side of his head and holding him a little bit closer.

He closed his eyes and drew from her quiet strength.

A few hours later, he was startled awake by the slamming of a door and Annie's voice calling for her aunt. Minutes later, the teenage girl burst into the guest room without knocking first.

"Ooops," she said, giggling slightly at the sight of her aunt and Jane in bed together. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine," Lisbon mumbled as she untangled herself from Jane's arms and brushed her hair out of her face. "Did you just get back from school?"

"Yup," Annie replied, smiling at Jane as she perched at the end of the bed. "So, how long have you been here?"

Jane swallowed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up. "Almost all afternoon, I guess."

"Nothing happened," Lisbon told her niece quickly.

"Yeah," Annie said dryly as she looked at them, both still completely clothed. "I believe you. Anyways, I have to go and do homework. I hope you're going to stay for dinner, Patrick."

Jane shrugged. "Maybe."

"I won't take no for an answer!" Annie told him. "We're ordering Chinese tonight, I'm sure that there'll will be enough for everybody."

Jane looked at Lisbon, who had crawled out of bed and was pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she nodded. "I'm sure that Tommy won't mind if you stay."

"I guess I'll stay then," Jane answered after a moment, mostly because he had no idea what he would do in Sacramento.

"I'll go tell dad that we're having an extra person for dinner!"

"So, do you want to talk about it now?" Lisbon asked after Annie had left the room.

Jane helped her straighten out the pillows and pull the covers up. "What makes you something bad happened?"

"Intuition," Lisbon replied. "You wouldn't have come to me unless something was really wrong. What happened when you went and saw Kane today?"

Jane shook his head. "I'm still having trouble believing it myself. I'm afraid that if I say it aloud, I'm going to have to start believing it."

She sat down on the bed and patted the seat beside her. "Come, talk to me. We both know you want to."

After a moment, Jane sat down beside her and let her take his hand. "Kane and Lorelei are working with Red John," he said, not beating around the bush.

"Kane's working for Red John?" Lisbon repeated, frowning slightly. "Did he—"

"No, no. . . it turns out that I _did_ shoot the man who killed my wife and daughter. Lisbon, I'm so confused right now. Everything I thought that I knew is suddenly wrong. Not only is Kane working for Red John, but he hates me too. And I should be having a break down right now or planning to do something crazy, and I'm not. I'm here having a reasonably calm conversation with you."

"I'm glad," Lisbon answered, tightening her grip on his hand. "Have you thought about what you're going to do? Do you want to turn Kane and Lorelei into the police?"

"I don't know," Jane answered. "You know what happens every single time that we arrest one of Red John's disciples. They all wind up dying or killing themselves. And I honestly don't think I could live with knowing that I could have prevented three people from dying."

"So that's it then? We just let them go and give them the chance to continue killing people? We give them the chance to keep enabling a mad man and his disciples?"

"I don't like it anymore than you do Lisbon. But he's my brother and she's carrying my niece or nephew. You don't betray family or feed them to the wolves."

"But he betrayed _you_," Lisbon said almost angrily. "He fed _you_ to the wolves, and he didn't even care! I'm just concerned as you are about the baby that Lorelei's carrying, but I couldn't care less what happened to her. I just want this all to be over."

"Even if they do survive our arrest, who's to say that they'll answer any of our questions?" Jane asked. "You know as well as I do that they would rather die than betray their master. That's why they all kill themselves."

"If they were any of his other disciples, you'd be falling all over yourself to get them into an interrogation room!" Lisbon answered.

"What if we found out that _your_ brothers were working for Red John?" Jane asked, rubbing circles into her knuckles. "Would you want to arrest them?"

Lisbon faltered for a second and then she shook her head. "Probably not, but I might always wonder if it were a missed opportunity to catch Red John. And I don't know if I could do that to you, if I had the power to end your suffering that's exactly what I would want to do."

Jane shook his head. "I wouldn't want you to do it. I couldn't bear it if later on, every time that you looked at me all you could see is a man who was responsible for your brother's death or jail sentence. I don't want you to end up resenting me. I don't want to lose what we have."

Lisbon smiled and patted his knee with her free hand. "Well, at least we don't have to think about something like that happening. Come on let's go and get the table set for dinner. We'll talk more about what to do later."

"Sure," Jane agreed as he stood up with her, reluctant to pull away from her touch. "Thanks for everything this afternoon. Without you, I'm sure that I would have fallen apart."

Lisbon smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. "I'm glad I could help," she answered.

After the last of the Chinese food had been consumed and Jane had helped the Lisbon family clean up after dinner, he decided that it was time to get back to Sacramento. He still didn't have a clue to what he was going to do about his brother. But he was decidedly clearer of head than he had been eight hours earlier, so he was certain that he wouldn't do anything terribly rash without Lisbon's supervision.

"You'll be okay without me?" Lisbon asked as she walked him out to his car.

"If I'm not, I'll know exactly where to find you," Jane answered, turning to look at her. "Promise me that you'll stay safe. I'm worried for you, now more than ever."

"I promise that I'll try," Lisbon replied. "But I don't think anything will happen, Kane is probably too scared to do anything to me now."

"I'll feel better knowing that you're taking precautions. We're so close to catching him, I can feel it. But I don't want anything to happen to you in the process."

"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll sleep with a gun _under _my pillow instead of the nightstand," Lisbon teased.

Jane laughed inspite of himself and pulled her into a hug. "Sounds good to me, you can never be too careful," he replied.

"Words to live by," she replied, smiling at him. "Promise me that you'll be safe to, that you won't do anything stupid like kidnap Kane and force him to bring you to Red John."

"Like I'd do that," Jane said as he let her go.

"I never underestimate you," Lisbon answered, letting her arms fall to her sides.

Jane grinned. "Good for you, Lisbon. You're learning."

"Go on," she whispered. "Before it starts to get late. . ."

_Before you beg me to stay_, Jane thought to himself as he resisted putting his arms around her again. He knew if he did, he probably wouldn't be going anywhere that night.

He knew if he touched her again, he would follow her back into the house and spend the night in her embrace where it was safe.

"I'll see you later," he said, getting into his car.

"See you later," Lisbon echoed, wrapping her arms around her waist feeling an acute sense of déjà vu when he drove away.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**I am viewing this as another pivotal chapter, except it's for the Jane & Lisbon relationship. Please leave some feedback, I'd really love to hear what you thought about this chapter. Meanwhile, there's a possible 4 more chapters to go in this story. Hope you'll stay tuned for more!**

**Love,**

**Holly, 6/5/2013_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Shout-Outs: Guest, Tina, Jane Doe51, Nerwen Aldarion, and Marcia Santos **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

**Author's Note: **

**Surprise! An update! And so soon after chapter 10. The truth is that I've had the events of this chapter planned for a year, and I couldn't wait to write it. Plus, I have a new writing commitment that I am eager to start soon. **

**.**

**Chapter 11 **

**Kane Reynolds**

"_Am I my brother's keeper?" Genesis 4:9 (ESV)_

He paced around the hotel room like a caged animal. He was certain that his brother was going to have him arrested. And then there would be handcuffs and poison pills in the back of a squad car. It would be a tragic ending to a tragic story.

Nobody would care what happened to him. He would just be one more person in an extensive list of people who had betrayed Red John. Somebody that his other disciples would whisper about long after he had died and been buried.

_Be careful_, they would say, _or you might turn out exactly like Kane Reynolds did_.

Eventually Lorelei's own betrayal would be discovered, and Red John would do away with her as well. Their child would be placed in one of the group's most revered households, and she would never know who her real parents were.

The lifestyle he was living just wasn't fair.

And for the first time since he'd joined Red John, he wished that he had done it with both his eyes _wide_ open. He didn't know if he would do things differently, but he would have made a more informed decision. Maybe it wouldn't have been one that would affect everybody on an extremely deep level.

The hotel door opened and Lorelei came in, carrying a paper sack from a local fast food chain.

"I brought you breakfast," she said. "In case you're hungry. . ."

Kane turned and looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Tell you _what_?" Lorelei replied, tossing her shoes off and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"About your pregnancy!" Kane answered, looking down at her stomach.

Lorelei closed her eyes, her hand flying protectively to her stomach. "Your brother has a big mouth," she said.

"I deserved to know!"

"Fine!" Lorelei said, getting to her feet and planting herself in front of him. "Kane, guess what! I'm having your kid. There! I hope you're happy!"

Kane's shoulders sagged. "We're both going to die."

Lorelei frowned. "Not if we keep things quiet."

He shook his head. "It's not going to be possible to keep things quiet. I told Patrick that I'm working with Red John. He's probably reporting it to the police as we speak. You know what I'll have to do when they arrest me. And as for you, you might have nine months to live. . . but after he realizes who the baby really belongs to you, it'll only be a matter of time before you die too."

"Then we'll have to figure something out," Lorelei answered. "We can run away—"

"You know as well as I do, that we _can't_ do that. We could go all the way across the world and he'd still find us."

"You'll think of something to get us out of this mess. You always do," Lorelei told him. "You aren't one of Red John's closet friends for nothing—"

Kane shook his head. "Lore, you know as well as I do that the only way out is in a body bag."

"So, we'll pretend to be dead then and then we can get witness protection or something. I'm sure that your brother and Agent Lisbon would be willing to help us. Especially since I'm pregnant with his niece or nephew—"

Kane shook his head. "No. Witness protection won't work either; he probably has people working for him in that department. No, the only way to get out is if the leader dies. Once our leader dies we are nothing, the whole network will disband. We won't have anybody here to tell us what to do."

"I highly doubt he's just going to keel over one day. He's a relatively healthy man. The only way for him to die is—" Lorelei stopped short and gasped. "Kane, _no_! You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking. It's too dangerous—"

"It's the only way," Kane answered. "And I am one of the only people he trusts explicitly. It _has_ to be me."

"I won't let you! Think about our child. . . even if you do wind up succeeding, you might spend the rest of your life in jail—"

"Then that's a risk that I'm willing to take," Kane said calmly. "I don't want to die, I don't want _our_ child growing up never knowing who her parents are—"

"That might happen anyways!" Lorelei told him. "Have you ever thought about that?"

"If anything happens to me. . . to us, I'm sure that Patrick will make sure that she knows we loved her."

"If you do anything stupid then we both might get killed before she even has a chance to be born! Are you still willing to go on your suicide mission knowing _that_? You have three lives in your hands right now, Kane. Please make the right decision—"

Kane didn't say anything as he placed both his hands on her face and kissed her deeply. "This is the right choice, Lore. We _need _to get out for the sake of our child. I need to right the wrongs I've done against Patrick—"

Lorelei was trembling visibly as she pushed her fingers through Kane's blonde curls and shook her head. "Are you your brother's keeper?" she asked, an ugly dread filling him.

"Am I my brother's keeper?" Kane repeated. "Yes, I am. Up until now, I just haven't done a good job of looking out for him. But you know what they say, it's never too late to change."

"Kane. . ."

"Shhhh!" He whispered as spread his fingers out on her stomach and kissed her again. "I love you and I love our baby. This is the only way."

Lorelei closed her eyes and took a shuddery breath. "I love you too. Please be safe," she replied, stretching on her toes and giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Kane nodded and held onto her in a tight embrace. "I promise."

For a minute, he didn't want to let her go. All he wanted to do was make love to her like all the times before. But this time it would be as a man in love. He wanted to memorize what she felt like and her taste and her smell. Because he knew that despite all of his promises, he wouldn't be coming back to her.

These were their last moments together.

He wanted to savor them.

So, he gave himself two more hours.

**.**

Kane bent down and kissed a sleeping Lorelei on the cheek before tucking an envelope under her pillow.

He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye face-to-face.

But then he had always been a coward and goodbyes just weren't his fortay.

Besides, he couldn't bring himself to make anymore false promises

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**I was always planning for Kane to go and do what he's about to do. I was always planning for him to step up and be a man. Anyways, 1 down 4 to go, I hope you stay tuned for the rest of the story. In the meanwhile, drop a note and tell me what you think. **

**Thanks for sticking with "My Brother's Keeper" for this long.**

**Love,**

**Holly, 6/7/2013_**


	12. Chapter 12

**Shout-Outs: Tina, Jane Doe51, and Nerwen Aldarion**

**Rated: T**

**Author's Note:**

**You might need tissues for the end of this chapter. I cried a little bit as I was typing the last few words. You have been warned. Oh, and the chapter I kept listening to was "Over the Love" by Florence + the Machine. I thought it fit Kane becoming disillusioned with Red John pretty well. And the quote I chose is from the song "Called Out of the Dark" by Snow Patrol, which has been a theme song for this story since the beginning. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**.**

**Chapter 12**

**Kane Reynolds – Las Vegas, Nevada (The Crimson Hat)**

"_I was called out of the dark, by a choir of beautiful cheats, and as the kids took back the park, you and I were left with the streets." Called Out in The Dark, Snow Patrol__

"I've been expecting you."

"I suppose you have been," Kane answered as he closed the door to his friend's office and made his way to one of the leather chairs.

"I can smell fear all over you Kane. You have nothing to worry about, I'm not going to do anything to you. . . for now. After all, it wasn't _your_ fault that your brother wouldn't succumb to Lorelei's charms. If it was anyone's fault, it was _mine_. I completely underestimated Patrick. I didn't know his feelings for the lovely Agent Lisbon ran so deep."

Kane was silent. He didn't want to say anything that would cause the serial killer to lash out at him. He wanted to keep him in a false sense of security for as long as possible.

"Or maybe Lorelei just couldn't do a competent job. Maybe something was keeping her doing her job as well as she usually does."

"What do you mean?" Kane asked, feeling slightly anxious.

"I think you know _exactly _what I mean, Kane."

Kane shook his head and looked the man directly in the eyes. "I never meant for it to go as far as it did. It just happened—"

"Kane, Kane, Kane. . . you know that I _don't_ discourage healthy sexual appetites in the least."

"I know—"

"But you also know that I _hate_ it when another man plays with my things—" he interrupted.

"Lorelei isn't _something_ that belongs to you," Kane interjected. "She's her own person! She came to me because I was the closest thing to you and she was lonely. Not that I owe you an explanation, Lorelei and I are both grown adults, Ray. We _don't _need your permission to do anything."

"You're fooling yourself. You _do_ need my permission, because I own you. You signed a contract the first time you killed for me."

"I don't remember signing a piece of paper," Kane answered defiantly.

Ray laughed. "That doesn't matter. The point is, you signed it and you signed it in blood. So, if you decide to leave I will find you and I will kill you. And don't think that I'll send one of my followers to do it. Because I _won't_, I'll do it myself, and it will be a slow, bloody death. It will happen when you least expect it, maybe _years _after you and Lorelei have made a new, pretty little life for yourselves.

"I'll enjoy watching you and Lorelei suffer. It will be a brilliant message to anybody who even _thinks_ about crossing me or stealing _my_ property. And I'll have the added bonus of watching your brother spiral even more out of control as he blames himself for your deaths and tries even harder to find me."

"He's stronger than you think," Kane tried to reply without a sign of emotion. "And Agent Lisbon will bring him back, she always does."

"Oh, but you haven't heard the rest of my plan yet."

"The rest of your plan?" Kane repeated, ignoring the cold fear that washed over him. "You mean there's more?"

"Of course there's more. Don't you remember? In six years, you and Lorelei will be in the early years of child rearing. And I would hate for him to be cast out into the uncaring world without a soul to take of him."

"I'm sure if anything happens to me and Lorelei, Patrick will be more than willing to take our child in. Unless—"

"Unless I kill him first?" Ray finished for him, laughing slightly. "Why would I kill him when he rightfully belongs to me?"

Kane frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you see if you had never fooled around with Lorelei, then she wouldn't have ever gotten pregnant with your child. In fact, _my_ baby might be growing in her womb right now."

"It won't work," Kane told him. "All those years with me and Lorelei, our child will never believe for a second that you're his father."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that. Will you? You'll be dead and the child won't be any of your business anymore. I can guarantee you that he or she will forget all about you after being separated from you for a few weeks."

Kane shook his head as he stealthily reached for his gun. "You know, I can't figure out for the life of me what I saw in you all these years. You're a wicked, wicked man who has no regard for human life."

Ray's eyes grew steely. "You're hands are just as dirty as mine are, Kane. You've killed just as many people, stolen just as many futures and families. And let's not forget to mention the worst sin of all that you have committed, you hate your brother. I'm pretty sure that it says in a book somewhere that _whoever_ _hates his brother is in danger of hell fire_."

"I will admit that I've done some horrible, unspeakable things. I'll also admit that up until this week that I didn't care about anything. But then I found out that I was going to be a father and suddenly everything I've ever done or said mattered. I don't want my son and daughter growing up in the shadows of blood and a mad man. I want them to have the freedom to do whatever they want as they get older. I don't want them to have to sign your contracts or leave a bloody smiley face on some unsuspecting person's wall. I don't want them to ever know or feel the kind of hatred that I have known and felt."

"What are you trying to say, Kane?" Ray asked, leaning back in his chair and staring him down.

Kane grasped his gun and pulled it out slowly. "What I'm trying to say is. . . goodbye."

"Walk out that door, and I _will_ make you regret it. You know too much, you've seen too much. I don't trust that you won't go to the police and tell all of our secrets."

"And incriminate myself as well?" Kane answered. "No, that wouldn't work. I want to see my kid grow up, you see. I want to be the father that Patrick and I never had. So, I'll walk out of here and you'll never see or hear from me again."

"Even if you don't run and tell the police on me, I'm still going to kill you and Lorelei one day. I hate betrayal."

"Yeah, I do too," Kane agreed as he cocked his revolver. "And I've been betraying my real family long enough. But those days are behind me now and I'm ready to move on. I'm ready to move on and _never_ look back."

"I know what you're planning on doing right now," Ray said. "And if you do it, you can kiss your temporary new life goodbye. If I die then you go down with me. There will be no second chances or shots at redemption."

Kane chuckled as he finally revealed his weapon. "Nobody will know it was me. You have dozens of disciples, dozens of enemies. . . any one of them could have been the one to kill you. You don't know how many people want you dead. Besides, I've never been caught once for any of the crimes I've committed. I learned from the best."

"You flatter me, but I would still advice you to put your gun away and go live your remaining few years in peace."

"No," Kane answered. "No, I would rather die right here, right now then put my family in anymore danger. I'd rather die than go and live half-a-dozen years checking over my shoulder and ran from shadows."

"Very well then, have it your own way."

Kane acted on reflex, pointing the gun directly at Ray Haffner's heart and pulling the trigger. But as soon as his bullet had hit its target, he felt a searing pain in his chest. He put two fingers to his heart and felt the sticky, warm substance flowing from it.

He looked over at Ray, who was clutching his own chest and trying to stand upright.

"Goodbye Kane," he said before collapsing to the ground.

A few minutes later, Kane followed, he stared at the ceiling as his whole life played out in front of him in blurry shadows. His father, his mother, Angela, Patrick, Lorelei, his unborn child, and even Corrine paraded in front of his eyes, vivid Technicolor among the darkness.

He had wronged each and every one of them epically.

And as he finally gave into the warm waves that threatened to carry him away from the pain, he hoped that they all would forgive him his transgressions one day.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II: **

**Yes. I was planning on taking this route all along. For the months I've been creating this story in my mind between waking and dreaming, I knew that **_**both**_** Kane and Red John were going to shoot each other, and die. Are you surprised? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 3/15 left, hope you'll stay tuned for the aftermath. **

**Until next time!**

**Holly, 6/12/13_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Shout-Outs: Jane Doe51, BookWorm4479, Tina, Nerwen Aldarion, and Marcia Santos**

**Rated: T**

**Author's Note: **

**Daddy wanted to make sure everybody knew that he was the inspiration behind "My Brother's Keeper". So, if I forgot to mention it at the beginning of this story, my dad is the idea behind this work of fiction. You can thank him accordingly. The quote is from the same song that inspired this chapter, "Colorblind" which is the Counting Crows song. I used the version covered by Natalie Walker because this chapter is from a female's POV. **

**Disclaimer: **

**The Mentalist belongs to Heller and Co. not me. Sorry to disappoint you.**

**.**

**Lorelei Martins – Sacramento, California**

_One Week Later_

"_Pull me out from inside, I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding. I am colorblind." Colorblind, Natalie Walker__

She watched from a distance with Agent Lisbon as her only companion while the Jane men and Daphne Reynolds buried her former lover in a simple ceremony. She barely registered what the priest was saying as he talked about redemption and forgiveness, all she could think about was how everything had changed in a blink of an eye.

One moment he had been making love to her, whispering affectionate words in her ear, and telling her how happy he was that they were starting a family together. A moment later, she had woken up to an empty bed with a letter instructing her on what to do if he didn't come back from his confrontation with Ray Haffner.

Before she knew what was happening, she had gotten a call from Bob Kirkland telling her that Ray and Kane had killed each other and that the group was disbanding before the police had any clue that they were connected to the serial killer. He offered to come and get her, to help her escape the country. The idea had been tempting, but in the end she had decided to stay put. She didn't care if one of her old 'friends' killed her to keep her quiet, or if she went to jail for the crimes she had committed. In the end, she decided she didn't want an ocean between her and Kane. She just wanted to be close to him for the rest of her life, even if it wasn't physically.

Lorelei sighed audibly as she rested her hand on her stomach without even thinking about it.

"It'll be okay," Lisbon whispered, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly as she adjusted the umbrella that was protecting them from the torrential downpour.

Lorelei wanted to believe the older woman's words more than anything, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't do it. Because she knew the truth, it _wasn't_ going to be okay. Kane was gone forever and she was going to jail. She would miss out on every milestone her child reached; some other woman would get the privilege of hearing _mommy_ for the first time. And no matter what she did, no matter how long of a sentence she served, her sins would never be wiped clean.

It was as if Lisbon had sensed her thoughts, because she squeezed her shoulder again and offered her a comforting smile.

And then the funeral was over.

"Come on," Lisbon said, her voice still low as she led her closer to Kane's gravesite. "You can go and say goodbye one more time."

"Thank you," Lorelei replied, trying to stave off the tears that were threating to spill from her eyes. She hadn't cried over Kane's death yet, and she wasn't planning on doing it in a semi-public place.

Lisbon nodded then dashed between the raindrops to go and stand Patrick, leaving her in peace.

Lorelei watched for a moment as Patrick wrapped his arms around Lisbon and clung to her like his life depended on it. Then she turned her attention back to the open grave, wishing she could at least wrap her arms around herself to chase away the chill that had permanently settled into her bones.

She took a deep breath and bowed her head, praying to a God that she hadn't spoken to since she was a little girl. Then, she whispered a goodbye only loud enough for her to hear. When she was finished, she turned around and walked towards Patrick.

She had one more thing to do, one more wish of Kane's to fulfill.

"Agent Lisbon, could you reach into my left coat pocket and get the envelope there?" She asked as she stopped in front of them.

"Sure," Lisbon answered wearily, plucking the envelope from her pocket quickly.

"Thank you," Lorelei said, turning to look at Patrick. "Kane wrote me a letter before he went to see Ray. It was instructions on what to do if he didn't come back. One of the things that he asked me to do was pay you back every single cent that you ever loaned him."

Patrick took the envelope and opened it, stunned at the amount that he found waiting for him. "This is too much—"

"He wanted to pay you back with interest," Lorelei answered. "In the letter that he left me, he said a lot of the times that you offered him money he took it without really needing it. This is his restitution for stealing from you."

"But he never really stole from me," Patrick protested. "I gave it to him as a gift—"

"Jane, it was your brother's final wish," Lisbon told him quietly. "Don't begrudge a dead man."

Patrick thought for a moment and then nodded, stuffing the envelope away in his pocket.

Lorelei smiled to herself as she remembered the part in Kane's letter that had said Patrick wouldn't keep the money after he accepted it. By the end of the week somebody would have a new heart or a lung, or the cancer treatment that they needed. And nobody would know who they owed their second chance at life to.

It was a happy thought amid the gloomy ones of the day. And Lorelei hoped that she would be privileged enough to hold onto it for the rest of her life.

"You'll come and visit me, Patrick?" She asked after a moment.

"Sure," he answered, his eyes darting to her stomach. "If that's what you want."

"It is," Lorelei replied, turning to Lisbon. "I'm ready to go now, Agent."

"Okay," Lisbon agreed, glancing over at Patrick. "I'll come around your place with dinner later, Jane."

"I'm looking forward to it," he replied.

Lorelei quietly wished that they would have a happier ending than she and Kane had shared.

**.**

Lorelei stared out the barred window at the dark, cloudy sky. She could barely breathe anymore, the day was coming to a close and she was beginning to realize that it was _really_ over. There was no turning back or getting out of it.

This was the first day of the rest of her life.

She bowed her head and wept for everything she had lost, and for everything she was going to lose.

**TBC. . . **

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**Short, I know but this story is finally winding down, and I had trouble capturing Lorelei in this chapter. Setting the mood was SO hard! 2/15 left and then it's onto more romantic things. I hope you'll stay tuned for the big finish, I already have the first sentence in chapter 14 written. I promise that you won't be disappointed. **

**Until next time!**

**Holly, 6/15/13_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Shout-Outs: Babi Baker, Tina, Guest, Jane Doe51, and Nerwen Aldarion **

**Rated: T**

**Author's Note: **

**Just a quick note today, even though the quote is from "Goodbye My Lover" nothing wicked angsty happens in this story. Some of the lines just inspired the events of this chapter, so it seemed only logical to use them as an opener. **

**Disclaimer: **

**The Mentalist belongs to Heller and Co. not me. Sorry to disappoint you.**

_For Nerwen Aldarion, who wanted other stuff to happen in this chapter, I hope you like the next best thing._

**.**

**Chapter 14 **

**Teresa Lisbon – Sacramento, California **

"_I know your fears and you know mine. We've had our doubts but now we're fine. And I love you, I swear that's true. I cannot live without you." Goodbye My Lover, James Blunt_

"My brother's dead."

"I know," Lisbon answered as she started to clean up their take out dinner of Chinese food.

"In the end, I was supposed to be the one who died. Not him. I was the one who was supposed to find Red John and kill him," Jane replied.

"You weren't supposed to die," Lisbon said quietly, putting her hand on his knee and begging him with her eyes to stop talking crazy.

"Yes, I was. You don't understand, Lisbon. I was either going to die or spend the rest of my life in a maximum security prison somewhere. I never planned for a life after him. I never allowed myself to hope that there could be a life after him. I have no idea what I'm going to do now. I have nothing—"

"You still have a place on the team for as long as you want it," she told him. "And as for the rest, I'll help you figure it out as we go along."

Jane sighed. "You should have left me alone a long time ago, Lisbon. Think of all the things you could have done with your life if we had never met."

Lisbon shrugged. "I did once. And I decided it wasn't worth it. I much prefer you to climbing the political ladder."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to make me feel worse," Jane said.

"No," Lisbon whispered as she moved closer and loosened his tie, discarding of it for him. "I mean it. I _do_ prefer you to any important job that I could have right now. And unlike you Patrick, I did imagine life after Red John. And it usually _didn't_ include prison bars or tombstones."

"Why would you waste your dreams on me?"

"Because if I didn't then who was going to?" Lisbon asked simply.

"Oh Lisbon—" Jane started, his face fraught with nameless emotions.

"I love you Patrick," she told him, sliding his suit jacket off his shoulders and fighting off the tears that were threatening to spill over. "Do you know how long I've wanted to say that? _I love you_."

"We can't do this," Jane told her, grabbing her hands and intertwining their fingers. "Not tonight."

"I _want_ to do it though" Lisbon replied, looking at him earnestly. "Please Patrick just let me comfort you—"

He shook his head. "You can't. Don't get me wrong, I _want_ this. I want this more than anything right now. But at the same time, I want to do it the _right _way. Our first time just can't be shadowed by my brother's or Red John's death or my uncertainties."

"I really don't care though—"

"If I really do have a future now, I don't want to waste it on one hour of comfort. It doesn't matter how badly I want to feel something other than pain right now," Jane replied.

Lisbon nodded. "Okay. Could I at least spend the night with you? Just to make sure you'll be all right?"

Jane smiled. "I'd like that a lot," he answered.

She returned his smile and leaned in to give him an achingly gentle kiss on the cheek. "Good, because I wasn't going to take _no_ for an answer, you know."

"I'm certain of it."

After a moment, Lisbon sobered and touched his face. "It's all over now, everything's going to be okay again. I'll help you, just like I always do."

Jane nodded and pulled her into a tight embrace. Lisbon closed her eyes and rubbed circles into his back.

"It's been a very trying day," she whispered. "You must be exhausted."

"I'm way too keyed up, I don't think I could sleep even if I tried," he replied.

"I want you to at least _try _and get some rest," Lisbon answered as she released him. "I know you haven't slept since we got the call about Kane. Help me clean up and then come to bed with me. _Please_."

"Fine," Jane finally agreed.

**.**

Lisbon sat on the edge of the hotel bed and pulled her black nylons off then she unzipped her dress and shimmied down to her slip while Jane pretended to be sleeping. She crawled under the covers next to him and turned the lamp off.

"You can open your eyes now," she said. "I'm safely in bed."

Jane opened his eyes and turned on his side to look down at her. "Thanks for being there for me today."

Lisbon smiled up at him and gently brushed her knuckles across his temples. "Always," she whispered.

Without thinking, she gave into her growing desiring to kiss him. For an agonizing second, she thought that he wouldn't reciprocate. And then just when she was about to pull away, he returned her kiss.

It was tender and passionate all at the same time, a testimony of a decade long of attraction and waiting. It was a request to wait until better times came along and a promise of things to come. It seemed to last forever, but it ended too soon.

"Not tonight," Jane reminded her as he pulled away and wrapped his arms around her.

"I know," Lisbon replied, nestling her head in the crook of his neck and closing her eyes.

"Goodnight Teresa," Jane said quietly.

"Goodnight Patrick," she replied. "I love you."

"I love you too," he answered.

She smiled inspite of herself, a sense of giddiness sweeping over her as his words sunk in. He loved her too. This time she knew for sure that the sentiment would be her's forever, that he wouldn't take them back this time.

She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face and the sharp scent of his aftershave and Listerine mouthwash filling her senses, while a million more nights like the one she was sharing with Jane danced in her head.

**.**

The next morning, they grabbed a bite to eat at Marie's. It was like a dam somewhere deep inside Jane had broken and he was trying to make up for ten years all at once. Every opportunity he got, his fingers were intertwined with her's or his hands were in her hair or on the small of her back.

She leaned in to him and hoped that this was the first day of the rest of their lives.

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Author's Note II:**

**Okay, this wasn't my original plan for the story. This is the result of not being able to sleep. I am probably going to post the original chapter in the next few days, so if you're interested in that look for it in "Afterthoughts". It's a place that houses my one-shots to my longer stories or other one-shots that I think need sequels. 14/15, I hope you'll stick around for the conclusion. It should be up in the next 9 days. Until then, I hope you'll leave your thoughts about this chapter. **

**Love,**

**Holly, 6/20/13_**


	15. Chapter 15

**Shout-Outs: TeresaLisbonCBI , Jane Doe51, Marcia Santos, Tina, and Nerwen Aldarion **

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: **

**I have to break it to you, nothing belongs to me.**

**.**

**Chapter 15 – Patrick Jane**

_One Month Later_

"Hey," Lorelei said as she sat down across from him. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come and visit."

"I promised you that I would, didn't I?" he replied, silently taking in her appearance.

She was a former shell of the woman that he had met weeks earlier. Sadness was starting to set into her beautiful features and she looked like she had aged ten years during her first thirty-one days in prison. Soon, the bitterness that overtook most of the inmates would overtake her and she would barely recognize herself when she looked in the mirror.

"Yes, you did. I never should have doubted you," she answered, getting a far off look in her eye. "Kane always said that you kept your word. I think that it was one of the things he disliked the most about you."

"How are you?" Jane asked, ignoring her statement.

"I'm in jail, Patrick. How do you _think_ I am?" Lorelei answered, sarcastically.

"How's the baby then?"

"She's healthy," Lorelei answered.

Jane smiled. "So, it's a _she_ then?"

"Well, I'm _hoping_ that it's a girl. But I don't want to know, I don't want to get attached anymore than I already have. . . I can't keep it, you know."

"I know," Jane answered, his smile faded. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," Lorelei interjected. "It's my own fault; I should have _never_ gotten involved with Ray Haffner in the first place. If I could do things differently, I would."

"If you had never gotten involved with Ray Haffner in the first place then you would have never met my brother," Jane replied. "And maybe he would still be alive today, helping a serial killer commit his bloody crimes. In a way, you saved him."

"I killed him," Lorelei answered quietly. "If I had never gotten pregnant, he would still be alive today."

"Even if he were still alive right now, he'd still be working for Red John. He died doing the first noble thing in his life. That alone should bring you some comfort."

"Did Agent Lisbon feed you that crap?" Lorelei asked, smiling inspite of herself.

"Actually, she did. But that doesn't make it any less true."

Lorelei sighed deeply. The last thing that she wanted to talk about was a couple that actually got a chance to make it work. She pushed away the bitter resentment building up in her chest and folded her hands on the table, her handcuffs clinking. "I need to ask you a favor, Patrick."

Jane shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do it Lorelei. It would be too painful."

"Then will you at least make sure that she gets into a good home and that they're raising her right?" Lorelei asked. "I really would like for her to at least know her uncle. . . and her aunt."

"Aunt?" Jane repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Do it and you'll never hear from me again," Lorelei promised. "Not even when I get out of prison."

"Okay," Jane answered. "I'll do it, for Kane."

"And you'll check in on her occasionally as she grows up? You'll let her know that you love her, and that her real family always wanted her? That we always loved her and that we always wanted her?"

Jane waited for a beat and then he nodded, his heart clenching slightly. "Yes."

"You have to _promise_ me that you'll do it," Lorelei pleaded.

"I promise," Jane conceded.

**.**

"You were gone a while," Lisbon said, putting down the _Better Homes and Gardens _magazine she had been paging through. "I almost thought that you had run away."

Jane smiled inspite of himself and joined her on the couch. He pulled her into his embrace and rested his chin on her head, breathing her in. "Why would I run away when I don't have anywhere to go?"

"I'm sure that you could find somewhere to go," she replied, closing her eyes as his fingertips brushed her knuckles. "So you weren't running away. Where were you then?"

"Visiting Lorelei in prison like I promised that I would," Jane answered, moving his hand from her fingers to her shoulder.

"Oh. . ." Lisbon trailed off and released a deep breath. "Is everything. . . okay?"

"As good as it can be, I guess."

"Not very well at all," Lisbon concluded.

"She regrets a lot of things," Jane said. "She wishes that things had turned out differently."

"Everyone wishes that," Lisbon answered quietly. "But we have to make the best of the situations that life has given us."

"You do that well."

Lisbon gazed up at him and gave him strangely angled kiss. "I think that _you've_ done a pretty good job at making the best of yoursituation."

"It's taken me a while to get here though," Jane answered, returning her awkward kiss for one of his own.

"Anyways, Lorelei. . ."

"She wanted me to take her baby after she has it," Jane replied.

"That isn't much of a shock," Lisbon said as she adjusted herself so she was more comfortable. "It makes sense that Lorelei would want her child to be with family."

"I told her that it would be too painful to do it," Jane answered. "Was it wrong to reject one of my only living family members?"

"I don't blame you for saying no," Lisbon told him gently.

"I did tell her that I'd find the baby a good family to live with and that we would visit her sometimes to let her know that we love her, that we did want her."

"So, it's a girl then?" Lisbon asked a hint of a smile in her voice.

"Lorelei seems to think it is," Jane answered. "She doesn't want to know for sure though. She's afraid that she's going to get more attached than she already is. You can't blame her. I don't think I'd want to know either."

"Everything's going to be okay," Lisbon whispered, sitting up so she could look him in the eyes.

"I know," Jane said.

"Do you?" She replied, leaning in to kiss him again. "Do you _really_ know?"

He nodded, tangling his fingers through her hair and giving her another kiss. "Yes, I'm just struggling to really believe it."

"I'm very patient," Lisbon said earnestly.

Jane laughed. "Well, when it comes to things like this you are. I'm not sure about the rest of the time though."

Lisbon playfully punched him in the arm, thankful that the tension that had followed Jane into her apartment was starting to ebb away. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "Because I was thinking we could go and grab some dinner if you're up to it."

"Dinner would be great," Jane answered, rising to his feet and pulling her with him.

He knew it wasn't the end of the discussion. That it would still take a while to get over his brother's death, and the fact that he didn't get to see Red John die first hand. But things were getting easier; he was realizing that life did indeed go on. And against all odds, he was moving on. Learning how to recreate a life outside of revenge, the deaths of his family, and a serial killer that had dictated his every move. . . his every decision.

The soulful looks, the kisses, and the nights he and Lisbon shared together weren't colored by darkness anymore. He could love and be loved freely again. His laughter was genuine, his sorrow not as great.

For the first time in the better part of a decade, he wasn't doing everything in him to kill off the good in his life. He could get close to somebody again without the fear of losing them.

For the first time in a better part of a decade, he was truly happy.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note:**

**That's all I have. I hope that you enjoyed this story. I'm still trying to work on the alternate chapter to 14, but I can't promise that it'll be finished before I leave for the beach on Saturday. In the meantime, tell me what you thought about this chapter. It was a real struggle to write for me. **

**Love,**

**Holly, 6/26/2013_**


End file.
